LeftLion December 2023 Issue 166

#166 December 2023

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Credits

Featured Contributor

Tins-Al Alan Gilby (alan.gilby@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor-in-Chief Jared Wilson (jared.wilson@leftlion.co.uk)

Editor Sophie Gargett (sophie.gargett@leftlion.co.uk)

Assistant Editor Gemma Cockrell (gemma.cockrell@leftlion. co.uk)

Head Designer Natalie Owen (natalie.owen@leftlion.co.uk)

Web Developer Tom Errington (tom.errington@leftlion.co.uk)

Zarina Teli

From scrawling on living room walls to more formally studying art and design at Nottingham College, creativity has always felt instinctive to Zarina. Now a dentist by day, she pursues her artistic endeavours in any free time she can find.

In this time she has managed to paint murals in schools, props for shows, pieces for the homes and weddings of friends, as well as holding creative classes for children and the elderly, and can often be found applying henna at various charity fundraisers.

Partnerships Manager Adam Pickering (adam.pickering@leftlion.co.uk)

Partnerships Assistant Lottie Murray (lottie.murray@leftlion.co.uk)

Fashion Editor Addie Kenogbon (fashion@leftlion.co.uk)

She is inspired by the environment and has a special interest in illustration and pottery. Zarina’s involvement in activism often influences her art, most notably the Resist to Exist Lady Kashmir, as well as her participation in live art pieces during public demonstrations.

She endeavours to use sustainable resources wherever possible, and loves the idea of transforming what is initially viewed as waste into an object of beauty.

Stage Co-Editor Ian C. Douglas (ian@leftlion.co.uk)

Stage Co-Editor Dom Henry (dom.henry@leftlion.co.uk)

Screen Co-Editor George White (george.white@leftlion.co.uk)

Find Zarina’s ‘A Santa in Notts Abu Dhabi’ illustration on page 21 @telingtons

Supporters Screen Co-Editor Oliver Parker (oliver.parker@leftlion.co.uk)

Music Editor Maddie Dinnage (music@leftlion.co.uk)

Food Editor Julia Head (food@leftlion.co.uk)

Photography Co-Editor Fabrice Gagos (fabrice.gagos@leftlion.co.uk)

Photography Co-Editor Nathan Langman (nathan.langman@leftlion.co.uk)

Art Editor George Dunbar (art@leftlion.co.uk)

Literature Editor Andrew Tucker (literature@leftlion.co.uk)

Environment Editor Eleanor Flowerday (environment@leftlion.co.uk)

Distribution Dom Martinovs

Cover Chris Rickels Community Editor Rose Mason (community@leftlion.co.uk) Writers Aaron Roe Beth Green Dani Bacon Emily Bicknell Farzad Azimbeik Francesca Beaumont Ian Kingsbury Jamie Morris

Joanna Hoyes Maab Abdelatif Nadia Whittome Phil Taylor Rich Higton Roxann Yus Scarlett Caldicott Photographers Alex Blythe Lisa Cooper Nigel King Rachel Hopkins Rizza Ubungen Tom Quigley

Illustrators Bryony Loveridge Celia Shiels Harry Batten Jim Brown Maria Winther Pete Gray Raphael Achache Tracey Meek Zarina Teli

These people #SupportLeftLion Alison Gove-Humphries, Alison Hedley, Alison Knox, Anamenti, Ant Haywood, Audrey & Lizzy & Margot, Barbara Morgan, Cat Sharpe, Cerys Gibson, Chris Jarvis, Chris Underwood, Claire Foss, Clare Foyle, Cyra Golijani-Moghaddam, Dan Hemmings, David Knight, Dick Watson, Donna RoweMerriman, Eden PR, Emilija O, Erika Diaz Petersen, Harry Sutcliffe, Harry Turner, Hayley Howard, Hazel Allister, Heather Oliver, Holly's Merry Moggies, Ian Carroll, Ian Phillips, Ian Storey, Ian Yanson, James Place, Jane Dodge, Janine Lees, Jayne Paul William & Pirate Jack, John Haslam, John Hess, John Holmes, John & Jackie Scruton, Jon Blyth, Joshua Heathcote, Julian Bower, Justyn Roberts, Kathleen Dunham, Kay Gilby, Kiki Dee the Cat, Lilian Greenwood, Livi & Jacob Nieri, Louise Duffield, Marc Weaver, Mark Barratt, Mark Gasson, Matt Turpin, Mark Del, Matthew Riches, Mike Carter, Michael Mc, Mighty Lightweights, MinorOak Coworking, Miri Debah, Monica White, Nigel Cooke, Nigel King, NottingJam Orchestra, Paul Boast, Paul Wentworth, Pearl Quick, Rach, Rachel Ayrton, Rachel Morton, Raphael Achache, Redbrick Communications, Richard Goodwin, Rob Arthur, Roy Manterfield, Russell Brown, Sam Hudson, Sam Stiling, Sarah Manton, Selectadisc, Simon Evans, Steve Benton, Steve Lyon, Steve Wallace, Sue Barsby, Sue Reader, Tracey Newton, Will Horton

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Contents 22

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Nottingham Culture Review 2023 2023 was a year of local success in sport and one with various familiar faces being part of big things on screen, too

Temple of Whom Clifton’s own Karl Collins is making a return to a little show called Doctor Who for a certain sixtieth celebration

A Divorce To Be Reckoned With Divorce are poised for huge success in 2024, following the release of their new EP Heady Metal last month

12

The Wolfpack Project As a charity that works with sixteen–35-year-olds living in Notts, The Wolfpack Project helps people tackle loneliness in these colder months

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The Academy A-Roards Forget the Oscars and the BAFTAs, the only recognition filmmakers really desire is the approval of us proper cinephiles at LeftLion

14

Paying Fromage Tis the season to be cheesy! We heard about the un-brie-lievable variety of delicious dairy available at The Cheese Shop on Flying Horse Walk

33

Don’t be Ridykeulous!

Nottingham Contemporary’s latest interactive art installation Ridykeulous is host to over thirty intergenerational queer artists

15

Green Screen A British Independent Film Award winner. A Screen International Star of Tomorrow. But Safia Oakley-Green is only just getting started

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Minimal & Memorable This Christmas, we’ve scouted real life experiences offered by some of the city’s best businesses, so you can make memories and not trash

Wunder-bar Taking inspiration from Nottingham's independent bar scene and the unapologetic uber-cool spirit of Berlin, The Berliner has firmly placed Beeston on the map

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No Rhyme To Waste Poetry collectives have come and gone post-pandemic, so we meet some of the local champions who are bringing live poetry back to Nottingham

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A Santa In Notts Abu Dhabi If you’ve ever wondered how those blokes in shopping centres got into working as Santa, here’s your chance to find out, but this time it’s a local lad in Abu Dhabi

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These Girls Run We spoke to Molly Slater-Davison about These Girls Run, the community aiming to empower women and beat the winter blues

Editorial

Leftlion in the wild This issue I would like to dedicate to all the people making things happen, be those things big or small. The world can seem huge and unmanageable at times, and it's hard to know how to help make change, but I find it reassuring to know that there are lots of people each caring for their small corner.

There are so many people in our city who are making beautiful art or music, campaigning to make our society better, tending to the natural environment, or creating places and communities where people can connect these are the people who bring colour to grey days and make the world a little cosier for us all.

This month, as we head towards Christmas, we have a great selection of articles to inspire you during the cold evenings. We’ve got chats about cheese, embroidery and the best films of the year, plus a roundup of all that has happened in Notts during 2023. On page eleven, our MP Nadia Whittome addresses the issue of loneliness and shares some of the

Nottingham organisations helping to fight this, while on the next page you can hear about The Wolfpack Project, a local charity that helps sixteen-35 year olds feel less isolated.

Personally, I loved hearing about local author and illustrator Rebecca Buxton’s journey to publishing a children’s book about hedgehogs and wellbeing as a deaf, autistic and dyslexic person. Check it out on page 41 and read a longer interview with Rebecca on our website!

The festive season can become a bit of a frenzy of parties, shopping and endless consumption, but within this please remember to go at your own pace, make your own traditions, and be kind towards all of the staff at our brilliant pubs, restaurants and retailers, for whom Christmas is a bit of a different kettle of fish. Whatever you get up to, I hope it is a merry one.

Sophie Gargett

@petebeano Bathtime!

Tag us on Instagram @leftlionmagazine to feature in a future issue

LeftLion Ltd is a carbon neutral company, having reduced our direct emissions by 99% since 2018. We offset the rest via direct air capture from Climeworks. LeftLion Magazine is fully recyclable and compostable, made from recycled or FSC® certified (C015932) sources, and printed using renewable energy.

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Overheard in Notts Volume Five: The Verruca Moment is available now at leftlion.co.uk

Pick Six

Since last year we got Santa in for our Pick Six, and we’re a very balanced paper, this year we decided to see what favourite things the Krampus had to shout about…

Book I started reading a book called How to Raise Your IQ by Eating Gifted Children by Lewis B Frumkes recently. I am enjoying it - there’s lots of great tips - but I feel like the author isn’t really taking the subject seriously, and there really isn’t any need to discriminate against ungifted children, we should eat them all the equally.

Meal My food of choice is something people generally don’t want to hear about, but one thing I do love is Schnapps. It’s a bit embarrassing really - a little Schnapps and I lose all my fearsomeness - leave a tipple out for me and before you know it I’m singing Mariah Carey on karaoke with someone’s nan.

Song Of course there are many traditional songs about me; Krampus is Coming to Town, Night of the Krampus, Here Comes Krampus - they are all fun songs, but if I had to pick an all time favourite, it’d be Rebecca Black’s Friday. It always does the trick of getting guests to leave after the second or third play - I would recommend it for family gatherings.

Holiday Krampusnacht of course! I don’t get to go on vacation often, but this time of year is a bit like a working holiday for me. I have lots of people to visit for coal distribution and I don’t have the same magical help as St Nick. I travel the world by foot, so I tend to call it a walking holiday.

Getting my steps in is important for me.

Film Did you know, they’ve actually made several films about Krampus! I saw a few but all the CGI and prosthetics, I just didn’t find them realistic.

I like horror though and really enjoyed Jack Frost (1997) and Jack Frost 2: The Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman. I thought the bloodthirsty snowman idea was a very novel villain.

Notts Spot Since the seventies I have loved what they did with Maid Marian Way, but these days I’d have to say the Broadmarsh development site is looking just divine. Rubble is my sandy beach, scaffolding my palm trees and brutalist car parks are the five star resorts I dream about.

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UNDERCOVER ARTIST It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And so is the cover of our December issue by Chris Rickels. We find out more about him and his work...

Nottingham’s most opinionated grocers on...

Doctor Who We never liked it, it’s horrible and it completely terrified us as children.

The Daleks and the Cybermen might look a bit tame now, but back then they were frightening. Even just the music gives you the willies.

The main Doctors of our era were John Pertwee and Peter Davidson, but we preferred them in Worzel Gummidge and All Creatures Great and Small. We didn’t like it then and we don’t like it now.

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I'm originally from Nottingham and currently live in Sherwood with my wife and our two cats. I spend most of my week as a web developer, but I manage to fit a lot of creative projects around that and enjoy drawing, painting, designing, and currently a lot of 3D printing.

Can you talk us through this month's cover?

Firstly, I'd like to dedicate this cover to my Mum. Losing her earlier this year to lung cancer was heartbreaking, and I feel her absence so much at times like this. She would have been thrilled to see my work on the cover, she was always so supportive of our family’s creativity.

I hope she’d be proud. There is a butterfly tucked away in the picture as a little personal tribute to her.

King Charles III It was his birthday on 14 November and as usual we sent him a telegram. You just ring up a place in Northampton to send them and they go straight from there to the Buckingham Palace Post Office.

We always used to send three each year, one for Charles, one for Diana and one for the Queen. But obviously he’s the last one left now. Maybe we should start sending them for William and Kate?

The brief was cosy/traditional/festive but with a Nottingham flavour. My commissions are normally of a specific building or scene and I work meticulously to represent all the details authentically. With this, I was more free to piece things together and be a bit more creative, so I immediately started pulling bits of architecture from various Nottingham buildings. Window frames, brickwork, shop fronts, all things that might not be obviously tied to a specific building but definitely give a feel of Nottingham.

After that, I had a lot of fun filling in the windows with individual little scenes of festivity and links to Nottingham.

Local Cheese We stock what we believe is the best cheese in the world, Colston Bassett Stilton, made at Colston Bassett Dairy on Harby Lane in NG12. I recently went to a cheese shop in Louth, Lincolnshire and they sell it there for £29 a kilo. Yet in this backstreet greengrocer on Haydn Road it’s just £15 per kilo. The only other cheese we’ll have on our cheeseboard at home this Christmas is Somerset Brie, but that’s only local to folks who live in the South West.

Tell us about some projects you’ve worked on in the past…

I have been selling prints and commissions of my work for the past eight years, online and at local markets with my wife, Christine, who runs Luna + Kiki jewellery. My most popular prints are probably the more unusual ones like Selectadisc, Rock City and the Market Square shops. I really enjoy painting places that don't exist anymore, buildings with mismatched pieces of architecture, faded signs that show layers of history. Fortunately, Nottingham has a lot of all of these!

What have you got planned for the future?

As I mentioned before this has been an incredibly difficult year for me and my family. Not only losing Mum, but also even more recently my 99-year-old Grandma, has made us

take a step back and reassess where we spend our precious time. So, I'm currently taking a bit of a break from paid commissions and markets to spend more time with family and friends. Making this cover has been a joy though, and has made me want to get back into art for my own pleasure.

Aside from this, my wife and I are also putting our hand to designing T-shirts with our new mini project, Mushy Tees.

It's small at the moment, but it's something we've always wanted the opportunity to do, so we'll see where that goes!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?

I'd just like to thank Sophie and the team again for inviting me to do the cover. It's an opportunity I never thought I would be lucky enough to have and I hope everyone enjoys it and has a fun, relaxing, calm and safe festive period. chrisrickelsart.co.uk @chrisrickelsart

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Nadia on...

Loneliness

words: Nadia Whittome photo: Fabrice Gagos

There are many things to love about Christmas. The food, obviously. The excitement of unwrapping presents. The traditions, big and small. The cosiness. Personally, I can’t wait to wrap myself in a blanket and watch the same romcoms I’ve seen a dozen times already. But more than anything else, as every Christmas film ever teaches us, the season is all about love and togetherness.

Most people name spending time with family and friends as their favourite part of the holidays. Unfortunately, not everyone will have someone to celebrate with. For the growing number of people in the UK who are struggling with loneliness, this time of the year can be particularly painful.

Addressing loneliness is inseparable from tackling broader problems facing our society: fighting poverty and the cost of living crisis, protecting the right to work-life balance and funding accessible and affordable public transport It feels terrible to be lonely - that would be reason enough to take the problem seriously.

However, evidence shows that it can also have wide-ranging health consequences, leading the WHO to declare it a ‘global public health concern’. Social isolation has been proven to increase the risk of conditions including heart disease, type two diabetes, dementia and depression. One famous study found that the health effects of chronic loneliness are comparable to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.

The problem is particularly stark among young people. While one in three people in the UK report sometimes, often or always feeling lonely, this figure goes up to nearly six in ten for those aged sixteen to 24. The pandemic meant that a generation of teens and young adults spent some of their formative years at home, missing out on making friends and developing their social skills. The effects are unfortunately still being felt.

Austerity and the growing cost of living play a part as well. Social activities like going out for food, drinks or to the cinema are no longer affordable for many. Youth services, which once provided opportunities for people to get together, have been cut to the bone - from 2010, they lost 74% of their funding in ten years. University or college can be a great place to meet people - but sky-high rents and insufficient government support means that many spend time after class working until late, rather than socialising.

However, young people are not the only ones struggling. Nearly half of all people over 65 say that television or pets are their main forms of company. Disabled people are at a greater risk

of feeling isolated, as are their carers. Loneliness is also common among LGBTQ+ people, who are more likely to be estranged from their relatives. Studies show that poverty and inequality contribute to the crisis, and our work culture leaves many people too stressed and tired to focus on relationships.

The government has acknowledged the problem and, in 2018, announced a national strategy to tackle it. However, the funding attached was modest, and the focus was largely on awareness and piecemeal projects rather than ambitious, structural changes. Recently, the government launched a campaign to tackle loneliness at university, advising students to “keep in touch with friends and family over the phone” or to “be open to everyone, as university is a great place to meet people from all different backgrounds.” Perhaps these simple reminders might be helpful to some, but they won’t be much use to those who are exhausted after working long shifts, or who can’t access the mental health support they desperately need.

Addressing loneliness is inseparable from tackling broader problems facing our society: fighting poverty and the cost of living crisis, protecting the right to work-life balance and funding accessible and affordable public transport. Our cities and towns must be designed in a way that enables us to come together. The government should invest in spaces for people to spend time outside of home or work, such as youth clubs, swimming pools, libraries, parks or playgrounds, as well as volunteering programmes and other activities for people of all ages. It’s also vital to support community spaces like cafes, pubs and social centres, including venues specifically aimed at minority groups.

Charities also have a role to play in helping people feel less alone, and I’m pleased that there’s some fantastic work being done in Nottingham. The Wolfpack Project is a great charity dedicated to tackling youth loneliness, with individual support and social events for people aged 16-35 [read more about them on page thirteen]. Base 51 also provides counselling and group activities for kids and young adults aged eleven and over, while initiatives like The Pythian Club, Switch Up or the Community Recording Studio (CRS) help young people develop their skills and build friendships. Age UK organises walking groups and workshops for older residents, whereas the Notts LGBT+ Network has a packed programme of events for members of the queer community. Over the holidays, local organisations will be offering free community dinners, warm spaces and activities for children - check asklion.co.uk for an updated list!

However you’re spending Christmas, I hope it's filled with joy and love - and if you know someone who might be on their own, consider reaching out and making their day. Have a wonderful one and see you in the New Year! nadiawhittome.org

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words: Beth Green illustration: Bryony Loveridge

One in four 17–25 year olds will experience a mental health problem each year, so it’s no doubt that the demand for support is only growing. As a leading charity that works with 16–35 year olds living within Nottinghamshire, The Wolfpack Project provides an option for many. We speak to their Support Manager Rachel, who has been with them since June 2022, to find out more about the charity's work…

The Wolfpack Project’s ethos focuses on creating a safe and inclusive space for people to “make connections and get support with their mental health and wellbeing,” says Rachel, The Wolfpack Project’s Support Manager. People can feel reassured knowing that all staff members are mental health, first-aid trained, to ensure they can attend to a wide variety of needs when people reach out. She explains how although they help with serious topics, they pride themselves on approaching everyone with “empathy, compassion, fun and above all friendliness.” They do this by helping people build their connections, in whichever area is necessary, that they can take with them in all aspects of their life.

CEO Damien Reynolds originally set up The Wolfpack Project as a community group before registering it as a charity, and they will be reaching their fifth anniversary milestone next year. So, why did he decide to do this? Rachel talks openly about Damien’s experience of loneliness: “He both personally suffered with it, as well as losing some friends to suicide when he was in his twenties and thirties. He recognised that Nottingham needed a space for people in that age bracket where they can talk.” Whether that be the more formal mental health services or an informal chat among others, Nottingham was lacking, so forth the project began. One of the key benefits of the staff is that they have all had their own battles with loneliness and mental health, which makes them more approachable and understanding. It’s a build of trust; “often we can share our experiences too, which makes it easier for us to offer our support to them.”

As we are all too aware, the winter months can be the hardest for people suffering with their mental health.

Whether that be due to things like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or

perhaps the pressure of Christmas, with strained familial relationships. For some, these could be all the ingredients for a barrel of loneliness. Unfortunately, it is still far too common for LGBTQ+ members to be shunned or judged by their loved ones for their sexuality. It’s no wonder why the Christmas period can be so hard for them.

One of the ways The Wolfpack Project supports members of the LGBTQ+ community is through their regular LGBTQ+ Huddle social event, held every month. “All of our groups will run right up until Christmas, with the last being the LGBTQ+ Huddle social on Wednesday 20 December.” They pride themselves on being accessible both online and in-person, all year round, bar their Christmas closure. Rachel recognises that the demand for their service is ever apparent during the colder months. Group numbers have been rising; “I think it’s a sign of people not wanting to feel isolated, as well as making the effort to have a connection. It’s beneficial, especially now, to be around people and give yourself a distraction – we are very happy to be that for you!”

It’s beneficial, especially now, to be around people and give yourself a distraction – we are very happy to be that for you For people interested in joining, there are plenty of choices to suit a range of needs. “Every month we have a coffee space, board games, LGBTQ+ group, arts and crafts, as well as a big evening social and more.” The last big social of the year is on Wednesday 6 December, and will be held in their HQ that they share with The Winchester pub in Sherwood. The two will be collaborating to hold a festive evening of games and drinks. They also offer additional seasonal groups, such as their walking group, paddle boarding and mini golf which are most popular in the spring and summer months.

Joining the Project is a simple process; people can sign up directly through their website.

“It is here that people can give us more information on what it is they need, whether that be attending our social groups, or one-to-one support,” Rachel says. Once signed up, you will receive a welcome booklet and access to their booking system, where they can pick and choose to attend what they wish. Another option is signing up to a session through Eventbrite: “This is usually what people who may want to dip in and out do, rather than regularly attend – either is fine!”

Some people may find the idea of a group environment overwhelming; if this is the case, the Project will offer you a personalised one-to-one support session. Rachel will be the one working with you. “We can go over anxiety-management, stress reducing techniques, talk about worries and concerns and put in place any support we believe could help them.”

These sessions are usually held within their HQ building, to create a sense of safety and consistency for the individual. They also regularly update their resources on their website and socials for people to access, as well as their podcast, should they not feel able to speak to anyone. Another offering throughout the year is the Wellbeing Workshop: “This goes over the five ways to wellbeing, as well aws universal strategies, to help you both in the moment and long term.”

For now, The Wolfpack Project is putting all its energy into the build up to Christmas, ensuring that there are enough resources available, as well as groups to attend. Otherwise, Rachel speaks about a conference for June next year.

“It’s for professionals and people who want to learn more about mental health and wellbeing. There will be panel discussions and workshops, to help teach people about new and creative ways to approach mental health that people can implement into practice.” As for their five-year birthday, there are currently no plans, though Rachel laughs, “If in doubt, we’ll most likely have a party, with lots of drinks and cake!”

Christmas is inevitable, and the pressure of connections increases during this time, which can be either a blessing or a curse. As it is the charity’s key theme, Rachel explains how you can act accordingly to keep your wellbeing in the best possible state. “Our biggest tip is to think about who you want to prioritise spending time with and how you’re going to do it - try to find the balance.”

More information on how get involved can be found thewolfpackproject.org.uk @thewolfpackprojectuk

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A staple of every Brie-tish Christmas is, undoubtedly, the cheese board. However you choose to spend your holidays, nothing could be feta at warding off the winter bleus than treating yourself to some cheese by the fire.

But with so many types to choose from, what could be gouda enough to be yours on the big day? We spoke to Webb Freckingham, one of the owners of The Cheese Shop on Flying Horse Walk, to cheddar light on the grate-st cheese this festive cheese-on…

How long have you guys been open now?

We've been open for twenty years - we're going into our twentieth year in December. Frightening, really! It never seemed like it was going to be like that, but we must be doing something right because people kept coming back…

Which cheeses would you recommend this Christmas?

A hot cheese at Christmas is always Stilton. Everybody loves Stilton at Christmas!

We're lucky because we've got Colston Bassett and Cropwell Bishop - two local dairies producing great products on our doorstep. Most people want cheddar on their cheese board, such as Montgomery's cheddar, but you could also have Keynes from Somerset. Or we've got Isle of Mull, which is sharp and acidic, always a winner at Christmas. If you’re after goat’s cheese, we’d recommend a little goat cheese called Tor, which is ash-ripened. Beautiful, it’s a little bit citrusy, a little bit chalky.

Everybody loves Stilton at Christmas! We're lucky because we've got Colston Bassett and Cropwell Bishop Then some Rutland Red is great, for a bit of colour. It’s a Red Leicester style cheese.

Then, of course, you want something soft like Baron Bigod, which is a brie from East Suffolk, in a little village called Bungie. But you could have Tunworth or Waterloo, which is made with Guernsey cows milk which is rich and buttery, or Stinking Bishop - it's washed, pungent and smelly. At Christmas time, cheese is always popular. It's down to the individual but they'll be some of the most popular we sell.

For those who may not be too fond of Stilton but still want to try something local, do you have anything else from these parts?

We've also got a Lincolnshire Poacher from Lincolnshire, Cote Hill blue from Lincolnshire, Market Rasen… We've got Sparkenhoe Red Leicester from just over the border in Leicestershire, and Sage Derby, which is now being made back in Derbyshire, so that's going to be made by Hartington Creamery - that's quite exciting. And it's a traditional one, it's got no colouring and no flavourings, it's just flavoured with sage.

How would you recommend people have their cheese at Christmas?

It's down to personal preference. Some people like it with bread, some people

like it with crackers, some people like flavoured crackers. Some people like chutneys, pickled onions… the list is endless. Honey drizzled over blue cheese is to die for, because it just gives you that little bit of sweetness and you've got the salty blue - absolutely perfect. Or warm mince pies in the oven - carefully take the lid off, put a little bit of stilton on the top of the mince pie, put the lid back on and let it melt a little bit. Oh, it’s absolutely stunning!

Have you got a personal favourite at the moment?

Too many, that's the problem! I do like Rollright, which is a little spruce branded cheese, and I must say I'm always partial to a blue, whether it's Stilton, Lanark, Cotehill, or Beauvale, which is local to us from Cropwell.

Stunning cheeses! And at this time of year, what could be nicer than sitting in front of the fire with a nice glass of red wine and a selection of cheese?

What are the weirdest cheeses that can be found in the shop?

We’ve got one that's washed from Scotland and it's called Minger. It’s a weird name, but it's very popular - it's like an English style. Then we've got a Cheese Maker’s Special, from Alsop and Walker, and that is to die for it’s aged for at least ten months but it's more like fourteen. It's sweet, but it's got crystals in the cheese, so it just gives you that little burst of flavour and texture.

Do you have any vegan cheeses in the shop, for those with a plant-based diet?

No, we don't touch vegan cheese because we are strictly dairy! So, it would be difficult to avoid cross contamination, and realistically it's just not worth that hassle.

The pre-packed vegan stuff is the same stuff that you can get in the supermarkets, so it's not really our scene. So, if you can't do it well, I always think, don't do it at all.

Thanks for the chat! Before we go, have you got anything else that you want to add or shoutout?

It will be busy - we're always busy at Christmas. Please be patient if you're in the queue - we're working long hours and long days and some days it can be a little bit tough but everybody will get served and we'll do what we can. And at the end of the day, enjoy it! But remember The Cheese Shop isn't just open for Christmas. So we're here all the rest of the year as well. cheeseshopnottingham.co.uk

interview: Scarlett Caldicott illustration: Maria Winther 14 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

words: George White photo: Simon Ridgway/Sky Studios/Urban Myth Films

Green Screen My dream is just doing jobs that make me happy and taking on challenging characters that feel human

A British Independent Film Award winner. A Screen International Star of Tomorrow. But 22-year-old Safia Oakley-Green is only just getting started. We talk to the talented Television Workshopper about her upcoming film Out of Darkness and dive into the easy topic of what she wants to achieve in her career…

“It’s all about choices,” Safia Oakley-Green, the talented Television Workshop graduate, ponders when thinking about where her career could go and what motivates her. And, with a British Independent Film Award already to her name, as well a spot on this year’s Screen International Stars of Tomorrow list, it’s safe to say that the 22-year-old, who’s still yet to finish her Psychology degree, has already made some excellent ones.

With credits including Extraordinary, The Burning Girl, The Lazarus Project and Sherwood, she’s worked with stars like Paapa Essiedu and Lesley Manville, worked for directors like Claire McCarthy and worked within genres ranging from horror to comedy, sci-fi to drama.

Yet does this early success add extra pressure for what’s to come? Is it stressful knowing that audiences, casting agents and directors will expect more from you as an award winner? Or is this just the thought process of a textbook overthinker, like a certain LeftLion writer who shall not be named? Well, as it goes, it’s probably the latter - as it’s certainly not something that’s fazing Oakley-Green.

“I'm obviously so grateful to receive that recognition,” she says with a smile. “When you're acting, especially when you’re relatively new to acting, it can be so easy to not have a lot of confidence in what you do. I don't know… that’s the case for me, anyway. So it feels really wonderful to receive that recognition.

When you are so vulnerable in this job, it is nice to have someone go, ‘That looks good.’

“But I wouldn't say it adds any pressure, purely because both the BIFA Breakthrough award and Star of Tomorrow are specific to actors on the way to a potentially strong career, so it feels more like, ‘Okay, great, I'm on the right track.’ But I think if someone lands their first film and they win an Oscar or something like that, that could be a lot of pressure. This doesn't feel like that.

This one feels like a confidence boost to keep going.”

Does this taste of early success act as a motivator for more, though? Is this whole thing about one day experiencing that post-Oscar pressure? For Oakley-Green, in true Television

Workshop fashion, the focus is more on telling powerful stories than taking home major awards. “I think my dream is just doing jobs that make me happy or stories that I want to be involved in, taking on challenging characters that feel human,” she muses. “And in terms of recognition for those types of things, I don't mind. Whatever happens, happens. I’m definitely more interested in stories that are solid and are interesting. So I think that's something I really aspire to.

“I look at people who I admire, and I think of Hayley Squires she's done very specific, really fascinating things - or Florence Pugh’s early career. They took on really cool projects that are a bit weird and are really interesting. That’s what draws me to roles.”

For an actor whose inspiration to get into the field was I, Daniel Blake, this all checks out. Like Ken Loach’s typically loaded 2016 outing, Oakley-Green has already starred in releases that post powerful questions, like dark feminist thriller The Origin (recently renamed Out of Darkness for its upcoming cinematic release), historical LGBTQ+ horror Requiem and a winding, crime-ridden socio-political statement in Sherwood. And ending up on projects that offer more than just entertainment is no coincidence.

“I think it's really important to tell stories that get people thinking,” asserts Oakley-Green. “The Origin, for example, really picks on things like the patriarchy and sexual abuse and assault and all of these heavy, heavy, horrible themes - but it was such a crucial story to tell, and it's so unique with it being a prehistoric horror film. And then Sherwood is obviously massively politically based around the miners’ strikes, and that was really important.

So there is always a reason behind the projects that I take.

Although, the more socially or politically involved it is, the more scared you are, sometimes, because it feels like a bit of a responsibility.”

It’s not all about taking on these heavy responsibilities and tackling heavy subjects, though. Oakley-Green has starred in light-hearted superhero flicks like Extraordinary and taken part in twisty sci-fi shenanigans in The Lazarus Project, and one

glimpse at the actor’s social media will show that she’s focused on having fun with her career, too. “It's such a brilliant job to do,” she says, “and I think if I was miserable all the time, it wouldn't be what it is. On any set, most of the time those people are your family. They are like your best mates for that period of time, if you're lucky, so of course it is about having fun. You obviously take it seriously and do your job, do what you're paid to do, but it’s also key to have those moments of lightness and go, ‘This, on set, is real life, and this, on camera, is pretend.’”

Of course, there’s no one more fun than us Notts lot. We’re great, let’s be real. And luckily for Oakley-Green, she works with a lot of local talent. From Bella Ramsey in Requiem to Anjli Mohindra in The Lazarus Project, Samantha Morton in The Burning Girls to every Nottinghamian and their nan in Sherwood, she can’t escape them - and there’s no better set than one chock full of East Midlanders. “It's always amazing when you work with someone who went through the Workshop, because you've already got that shorthand with each other. You just suddenly feel at home. I’m so lucky that on almost all my projects, there have been Workshoppers, which is so cool - they’re everywhere.”

As well as proving fun to work with, the talent and achievements of these Workshoppers also provide the alum with a motivator to push on and do more exciting projects, develop her skill set further and, whisper it, maybe even take home some more of those ‘award’ things. “When I was training at the Workshop, they did these brochures every year that would list all the actors who have done well, alongside their achievements, and there would be this person winning a BAFTA and this person winning a BAFTA. So, yeah, if I could be one of those to bring home a BAFTA for Workshop one day, that wouldn’t be too bad,” she finishes with a grin.

With a killer work ethic, gripping screen presence and the ability to jump from one genre to the other with ease, we think it’s the least she can achieve. After finishing that degree, of course.

Education is always important, kids.

Out of Darkness is set to release in cinemas in February 2024 @safiaoakleygreen leftlion.co.uk/issue166 15

Minimal & Memorable Christmas is touted as the most wonderful time of the year - full of sweet treats, endless gifts and dazzling decorations - and in the deep of December, we really do need a few lovely things to cheer us up. But pull back the curtain and it is also statistically the most wasteful time of year, too.

According to the Environment Agency, twelve million tonnes of plastic enter our environment at this time of year - the equivalent of a bin lorry load every minute. Top this off with the 50,000 trees felled to create wrapping paper and 41% of toys ending up in landfill, the festive period is calculated to emit thirty percent more waste than the rest of the year.

Okay, you may have a father with an unnatural ability to wear out socks, a mother who simply adores Boots bath sets, or an auntie who loves collecting ‘live laugh love’ mugs filled with cheap hot chocolate - but do you really need to contribute to their poor life choices?

This year, instead of looking at physical gifts, we’ve scouted some real life experiences offered by some of the city’s best businesses, so your friends and family can make memories and not trash…

For the beer lover…

A brewery tour at Castle Rock’s Vat & Fiddle £15 per person

For the person that sends you cute animal videos…

Walking with alpacas at Oak Tree Farm £25 per person

For the bibliophile…

A membership to Bromley House Library £72-£144 per year

Rather than just buying your beer-loving friend a crate of tinnies from your local supermarket, why not give them the chance to learn more about their favourite beverage? Take a 45 minute guided tour around Castle Rock’s brewery, before ending back at the pub to sample their beers. You will even have the opportunity to pour your own pint of their award-winning Harvest Pale!

Trust us, it doesn’t get cuter than this. Treat your friend who is addicted to watching cute, fluffy animals through their phone to the real-life experience at Oak Tree Farm, where you can meet and feed their curious and friendly alpacas. They offer gorgeous experience vouchers, designed by their resident artist and printed on recycled paper, that can be gifted to others, making it the most adorable Christmas present around.

If there’s a bookworm in your life that doesn’t know about Nottingham’s secret library, this is the ideal gift for them. This Grade II listed building has operated as a library for the past 200 years and is complete with cosy armchairs, a walled garden, a coffee room, spaces to work, a delightful children’s library, plus curious features such as vintage tomes, ornate shelving and even a meridian line.

Membership includes access to over 47,000 books, manuscripts, maps and other materials, plus there are friendly staff to aid with research and enquiries.

For your crafty friend…

A crafternoon at Debbie Bryan From £30 per person Perfect for solo crafting or for getting creative with your friends and family, join Debbie Bryan for a crafternoon, served with their popular Afternoon Tea service. With options such as plate painting, candle painting, glass painting and mini wreath making, there is something to please anyone who is into arts and crafts.On arrival, their team will share their skills and recommendations with an introduction to your chosen craft before leaving you to enjoy your creativity at your own leisure.

16 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

For the theatre lover…

Limelight tour at Theatre Royal £12 per person

For the person that just eats beige…

Cooking course at Vietcentric Cooking School £55 per person

Guide of the award-winning Robin Hood Town Tour (along with several other bespoke guided walks) Ezekial Bone offers a glimpse behind the curtain of the oldest theatre in Nottingham. The Limelight Backstage Tours takes you behind the scenes at the historic Theatre Royal, which survived the reign of six monarchs and two World Wars, allowing you into areas usually hidden to the public to learn about the building's heritage and how the theatre operates.

You may be thinking, ‘How will this person survive a cooking course?’ But you’ll be pleased to hear that this is for all abilities! It’s time to help that person who only eats beige discover food that isn’t just chicken nuggets and chips, and what better way than with this three hour course centred around Vietnamese culture and cuisine? They may be slightly apprehensive at first, but once they can prepare and cook a Vietnamese two-course meal, they’ll never look back.

words: Sophie Gargett and Gemma Cockrell illustrations: Natalie Owen

For the person who likes an adventure…

Introduction to Paddleboarding course National Watersports Centre £30 per person

at

This is a water sport that anyone who loves adventure really needs to try! If you have ever seen someone paddleboarding, you will know how effortlessly impressive it can look when done correctly, and this two hour course will have your friends or family achieving just that. A qualified instructor will teach you how to stand, sit, kneel and even lie down on a paddleboard, and by the end of the session you will have gained the British Canoeing Start Award.

For the potter…

Beginner ceramics Ceramic School From £160 per person

course

at

Nottingham

Who hasn’t watched someone spinning clay and thought how therapeutic and satisfying it looks?

At Nottingham Ceramic School you can take a six week class during the evening or daytime to learn the basics of pottery. Choose between two techniques: handbuilding or throwing on the wheel.

Learn about stoneware and earthenware clays, how to create surface texture, and how to glaze. At the end of the course you will leave with a selection of your very own handmade pottery.

For the person with a sweet tooth…

The Ultimate Bean-to-Bar Experience at Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates From £65 per person Advertised as ‘for die-hard chocolate lovers only’, this bestselling two-hour workshop led by Luisa takes you on a journey of cacao, from its origins in the volcanic islands, all the way to the finished products. You’ll have a chance to taste the chocolate, and have a go at some of the key processes in the bean-to-bar chocolate making process for yourself. In addition, you get to mould your own bars and truffles to take home with you to enjoy.

For the caffeine addict…

Barista School at 200 Degrees From £59 per person 200 Degrees’ Barista School is the perfect gift for any caffeine addicts in your life. If they’ve never made a coffee on an espresso machine before, then the beginner class is the best fit, but if they’re already a bit of an expert and want to push their skills even further, then we recommend the intermediate option. Alternatively, if making their coffee look as aesthetically pleasing as possible is their goal, take a look at the Latte Art class, which promises to have you graduating from ''messy splodge'' to ''wow, that looks ace!'' in no time.

For the person always taking pictures…

Dark room membership at Make it Easy Lab From £50 per person With black and white, colour, and combined options, Make it Easy Lab’s Darkroom Memberships are perfect for anyone who is interested in analog photography. Whether they are an amateur or an expert, Make it Easy provides a space where people of any background can learn, share and practise their skills. Members get a massive fifty percent off darkroom hire, ten percent off one-onone mentoring, workshops, and film processing, and opportunities to participate in social events and exhibitions.

For the puzzle fiend…

Cave Escape From £20 per person After the gang at LeftLion HQ tested this one out a couple of months ago, we can definitely recommend it highly. Uniquely set in Nottingham’s famous subterranean caves (making it the world’s only escape room venue of its kind) there are three rooms for you to try: Carfax, Monuments, and Project Iceman. Each room will last a maximum of sixty minutes once the door closes behind you. When your time runs out, who knows what might happen…

NOTTS SHOTS

Panoramic skies Alex Blythe

Want to have your work featured in Notts Shots?

Send your high-res photos from around the city (including your full name and best web link) to photography@leftlion.co.uk or tag #nottsshots on Instagram .

wonderland Walking in a winter captured sat oop @c r ope Lisa Co

Winter is around the corner Rizza Ubungen @rzbngn

River Trent reflections Rachel Hopkins @rachel.hop

18 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

Disco inferno Tom Quigley @tomquigley

Autumn walks Rizza Ubungen @rzbngn

Behind the left lion Nigel King @nigelbig

Something new on the menu Lisa Cooper @coopsatcaptured

leftlion.co.uk/issue166 19

A Santa in Notts Abu Dhabi illustration: Zarina Teli

If you’ve ever wondered how those blokes in shopping centres got into working as Santa, here’s your chance to find out. Okay, this one isn’t explicitly about a job in Notts - but one of our own was asked to perform as Santa on the other side of the globe. We think that’s worth diving into…

I trained in Performance Studies in Northampton about 25 years ago, and I’ve always worked in the cultural industry in one way or another. For the first ten years, I was a dancer in and around Nottingham. I also did circus-y things as a hobby - I was part of the Fields of Fire at the Rec, and then started getting offers to be paid for it. Through that, I was contacted by some agencies and they realised I had a performance background and that I could be theatrical, so they started to give me that kind of work. That included some gigs around Christmas - when I was younger, I was more often an elf, but I’d played Santa before. One of the agents chatted to me about this and asked if I wanted to be Santa for a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi. So I thought, ‘Yeah, why not?’

There were even people without children who just wanted to meet Santa for the first time. The variety of people I met was really interesting I arrived late one night and had to start the following morning, so that was tricky with the jetlag. We did sixteen days in a row, and pretty much every day was similar, so we developed a good routine. Myself and a couple of the elves - one of which was from Nottingham as well - would have breakfast in the morning, get to Abu Dhabi Mall at around 10am to get ready to start at 11. We’d get a coffee first - I’d go for an espresso because each stint in the grotto would be four hours, and it took ages to get changed - then finish at around 8pm. We’d then get some food nearby, maybe visit a shisha lounge and have a little walk down the promenade by the sea. But, in general, we didn’t have time to do much more than that. We were definitely running on fumes by our final day, which happened to be Christmas Day. It was such an experience, though. I’ve been Santa in Nottingham and you kind of know what to expect. You’re pretty sure of the types of kids you’re going to see, and you can almost predict what they’re going to ask for.

Whereas, in Abu Dhabi, you don’t know what to expect. There were so many different people from different countries, with different religious backgrounds,

20leftlion.co.uk/issue166 20

and different expectations from Santa. There were a lot of languages.

There were even people without children who just wanted to experience Santa and meet Santa for the first time. That variety was really interesting.

I can think of a couple of particularly memorable moments. There was a Russian family who suddenly burst into song while I was talking to them. I had no clue what it was but I had to go along with it, so I just started dancing and miming away alongside them. I was also Santa shamed… One guy asked me if I spoke Arabic, which I don’t, so he said he thought Santa knew all of the languages.

Point taken. Next time I go back I’m going to try and offer at least one other language.

I’m actually not a massive Christmas person, myself, so being away from home for Christmas wasn’t too bad. I mean, getting to head over to a different country, where the lowest temperature you’ll experience is 27 degrees, isn’t bad! It’s fun to jump on a long-haul flight and do something different and exciting. I have a small family, and I don’t have any kids, so the actual day of Christmas is pretty boring, to be honest. Nowadays, I’ll have some whiskey, watch a bit of TV, but I don’t feel like I miss out on much by not being here for it.

I was Santa shamed… One guy asked me if I spoke Arabic, which I don’t, so he said he thought Santa knew all of the languages. Point taken Other things that I currently do for a living - like stilt walking - also have a finite life, whereas being Santa can only get better with age, so it’s a useful branch of my career! It’s something I’m looking to try and do every year, including back here in Nottingham. The good thing is, Christmas basically starts in early November in the UK now, so there are loads of opportunities to be Santa on home soil, and then head back out to Abu Dhabi for the main event. That’s my plan this year, and I’m really looking forward to it.

leftlion.co.uk/issue165 20

THOMPSON BROTHERS 83B Haydn Road, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 2LA 0115 9609209

NORDMAN FIRS

4FT - £25 5-6FT - £30 6-7FT - £35 7-8FT - £45 8-9FT - £55 9-10FT - £65 10-12FT - £85 12-14FT - £110

EACH leftlion.co.uk/issue166 21

Nottingham Culture Review 2023 Welcome to 2023, a year where we saw the cost of living crisis continue to ravage lots of local things we know and love. However, it was also a year of local success in various sports and one with various familiar faces being part of big things on screen…

words: Jared Wilson illustration: Raphael Achache

22 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

January HBO launches one of the television events of the year, adapting the video game The Last of Us for the small screen.

The two main stars are Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Narcos, Game of Thrones, etc) and Notts-born Bella Ramsey. Everyone in the universe agrees it’s completely brilliant! If you haven’t watched it yet, we strongly advise you do. A couple of months later, when she has a break from filming, Bella pops by our offices to do a mag interview and podcast with us about it all. What a star!

Beat The Streets takes place marking the annual return of real live events. Do Nothing, Church of the Cosmic Skull and Melonyx are among those performing. The festival raises another £89,500 for homeless charity Framework (making a total of over £400k raised by the festival since it began in 2018). LeftLion goes carbon neutral to kick off our twentieth birthday.

February Light Night and the Festival of Science and Curiosity, both now staples in the Nottingham family events calendar, take over the city. Gedling-born featherweight boxer Leigh Wood loses his WBA Featherweight title to Mauricio Lara, marking only his third defeat in a 29-fight career. However, don’t be too downhearted as Leigh is going to be mentioned a few more times this year and it’s all uphill from here.

Conservative party Chairman and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson has a barney on Radio Nottingham with local presenter Verity Cowley, who accuses him of dishonesty. Who’d have thought our most senior politicians could be dishonest?

March Sleaford Mods release UK Grim, their twelfth studio album. It features guest appearances from Florence Shaw (Dry Cleaning) and Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction). As usual they’ll spend most of the year touring with dates in the USA, New Zealand, Australia and most of Europe.

A couple of months later they’ll be namechecked by Robert Downey Junior while he’s doing press for Oppenheimer.

Lucy Askew is appointed new CEO of Broadway Cinema, replacing Steve Mapp after fifteen years as CEO and 33 years at the venue. Veronica Pickering becomes the first Black female High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.

Notts County CEO Jason Turner dies suddenly, aged fifty. Widely respected in football, he’d spent seven years with the club helping to turn their fortunes around.

George Akins Sr dies aged 94. A colossal businessman in the city, he started out with a string of bookmakers and opened several nightclubs, including Rock City. He leaves behind his two sons Sean and George Jr. Nottingham’s Creative Quarter company wraps up after ten years.

April Wrexham AFC pip Notts County to the National League title, with both teams finishing on over 100 points. Wrexham are owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) and it feels pretty weird seeing them on TV and in the media describing the Magpies as ‘one of the most exciting teams in sports’.

A three-bed house in Eastwood, where DH Lawrence once lived, sells for just £91k, less than a third of the national average. Former Notts midwife nurse Catherine Foster is now an international Opera star and takes the lead role in Puccini's Turandot at the Royal Opera House in London. A very enjoyable podcast documentary about former Notts record shop Selectadisc launches on BBC Sounds.

May The local football season wraps up with Nottingham Forest surviving their first season back in the Premier League and Notts County gaining back their league status after a nail-biting play-off promotion. Attendance figures for both clubs are at their highest levels for years.

Gedling's Leigh Wood wins back his WBA Welterweight title after a dominant win over Mauricio Lara.

Film and TV director Shane Meadows releases The Gallows Pole on BBC Two and iPlayer. It’s his first new work since

2019’s The Virtues and is a slightly odd but enjoyable romp starring local actor Michael Socha and several deer skulls.

Actress and local legend Vicky McClure releases a children's book called The Castle Rock Mystery Crew.

Nottingham singer Jerub opens up King Charles’ Coronation concert at Windsor Castle, sharing a stage with Take That and Lionel Richie. LeftLion Editor George White is poached by the Radio Times less than a year into his tenure and replaced as head of this magazine by Sophie Gargett.

Oscar and Rosie’s pizza restaurant closes up after ten years, citing the cost of living crisis. If we tried to mention every business that closes in the city this year we’d be here all day, but this one hurts as they were based in our old office, were friends and we always had our Christmas do’s here.

June A series of horrific events happen in the early hours of 13 June that become known nationally as the ‘Nottingham attacks’. These take the lives of students Grace O'MalleyKumar and Barnaby Webber (both just nineteen years old) and school caretaker Ian Coates (aged 65). Everything stops and there are a series of public gatherings in the city as people take time to process, mourn and grieve.

Green Hustle, the new-ish environmental string to the Hockley Hustle bow, takes over the Market Square for a couple of days and smashes it out of the park. Nottingham Castle reopens (again!) back under the management of Nottingham City Council. Nottingham Craft Beer Festival takes place in Sneinton Avenues, welcoming over 4000 punters over the three sessions.

July Notts cricket maestro Stuart Broad ends his career in the most spectacular way possible. He announces his retirement a day before the Ashes and then wins the game for England by hitting a six and taking a wicket with his final two touches.

The Women’s World Cup 2023 kicks off in Spain with Notts-born Mary Earps in the sticks. Despite her increasing hero status, kit manufacturers Nike initially can’t be bothered to put replicas of her shirt on sale to fans. England’s lionesses go all the way to the final, before losing to Spain, whose win is ultimately overshadowed by an ill-judged kiss by Spanish football president Luis Rubiales. Earps wins the ‘Golden Gloves’ award.

The Nottingham Pride main event takes place at Binks Yard for the first time. DJ Todd Terry headlines after Howard from Take That was dropped for saying and liking stupid things on X (formerly Twitter). Journalist and broadcaster John Holmes (aged 76) announces his retirement from BBC Nottingham after more than fifty years.

August Nottingham’s most high-profile couple Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen get married. They have their ceremony at Nottingham Council House and their evening do at Metronome. It’s all proper Notts with everything including food, gifts and wedding planning services locally-sourced. Nice one, ducks!

Nottinghamshire Police Officer Graham Saville does the bravest thing someone can do, losing his life to help save someone else’s in a rail incident out near Newark on Trent. TV Presenter and former Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University Sir Michael Parkinson dies aged 88.

Local roller derby team the Hellfire Harlots announce they are disbanding, citing the difficulties involved in running a grassroots sports team for well over a decade.

September Homeware and household high street retailers Wilko go under. Though founded in Leicestershire, with a dozen stores across Notts suburbs and a head office in Worksop, Wilko felt like a part of our local community and it's a sad day for many.

Dizzee Rascal stops by Victoria Park in Sneinton to play a quick and unannounced free gig, to promote his forthcoming

appearance over the road at Motorpoint Arena. Nonsuch Studios announce they will be vacating their studios space on Lower Parliament Street in the new year, a serious blow to independent theatre lovers in the city. We at LeftLion celebrate twenty years of publishing online and in print.

Nottingham music manager and promoter Darren Blair is found dead whilst on a trip to Vietnam. He’s only 32 and it’s a sad day for many in the local music scene. We fondly remember his cheeky grin from when he shared an office with us back in his I’m Not From London days of 2016-2017.

A crowdfunder is set up to help his family cover some of the costs of flying his body back and reaches £25k.

October The Great Escaper, a film written by Notts’ own William Ivory and starring Sir Michael Caine in his final screen role, is released in UK cinemas. HRH Princess Kate Middleton visits Nottingham and NTU for World Mental Health Day. Boxer Leigh Wood wins his third fight of 2023, knocking out Josh Warrington and completing what the BBC describe as a ‘Cinderella story’.

Hockley Hustle comes back to the city centre bigger than ever, putting on around 350 musical acts in a single day.

Deerstock, an annual charity music festival based out near East Bridgford announce they will not be putting on a 2024 event.

Silly season begins as The Sport ‘newspaper’ prints a front page with the headline ‘Taylor Swift To Buy Notts County’.

This is followed a day later by an art gallery in Long Eaton announcing a show by actor Pierce Brosnan and £500 tickets for a meet and greet. Brosnan’s representatives quickly respond saying they know nothing about it.

Tragedy strikes for our local ice hockey team as American forward Adam Johnson is injured during a Nottingham Panthers match in Sheffield and dies shortly afterwards. The opposition player is later arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and you get the feeling this will be a case that takes years to resolve and could set new precedents in sporting law.

November John and Lauren, the couple who run Nottingham independent gig venue The Chameleon post that ‘time is running out’ for the venue on their Facebook page. The venue will continue into at least early 2024, but it’s a stark reminder of how precarious things can be in our grassroots music scene.

A documentary called Inside the Undertakers airs on BBC with presenter Stacey Dooley spending several weeks working alongside Nottingham firm A.W. Lymn in an effort to confront her fear of death.

THePETEBOX, a musician and human beatboxer from Notts who headlined our tenth birthday do in 2013, appears in the blind auditions of ITV’s The Voice UK. All four judges turn their chairs around and beg him to be on their team. Fingers crossed he can go a step further than both Long Eaton’s Olivia Mason and local estate agent Mark Howard did last year and win it.

December At this point I should probably point out that this piece is written and printed in mid-late November, so covering December is always something of a step into the dark. So if there’s anything obvious missed from this time onwards you know why.

However, Eastenders’ Shane Ritchie and Strictly Come Dancing star Dr Ranj will be living in digs in Nottingham for the month as they star in Dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal. Nottingham-based YouTubers LadBaby have booked a theatre show at the Royal Concert Hall after bowing out of attempting to get their sixth consecutive meat and pastry flavoured Christmas number one.

A lad called Darren and a girl called Sharon will meet in the Market Square at 11.59pm on Sunday 31 December, fall in love, have babies and live happily ever after. You and yours will experience a joyful and peaceful Christmas and new year.

leftlion.co.uk/issue166 23

karl

interview: Rich Higton photo: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Disney 24 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

Temple of Whom Clifton’s own Karl Collins is making a return to a little show called Doctor Who for a certain sixtieth celebration. We talk to the Shaun Temple star about his time at the Television Workshop, Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It and jumping back into the Whoniverse…

Can you tell us a bit about your early life growing up in Clifton and how you got into acting?

I grew up in Clifton; I was there since I was two, probably, and my mum still lives there. And yeah, it was a great childhood. I found drama when I was thirteen, fourteen, when Central Television moved to Nottingham. I didn't really know what it meant to be on TV or to become a professional actor. You just saw people doing things on television and you never in your wildest dreams could imagine that that is what you could be doing in your life. So even when I started doing drama, it was just fun, really.

But basically, every now and then, Central Television, if they were casting something, they would send a casting director along or a director along just to observe one of the Workshop evenings, where we did theatre games and stuff. And then that's how I got my first TV job when I was fourteen, a part on a drama series called Dramarama, which I got on my fourteenth birthday.

photo

Even after I got that and started doing other bits and bobs, I still didn't realise the true magnitude of what it could be in terms of having a career.

Then, at some point, I think the woman who ran the drama group, Sue Nott, said to me, ‘Oh, you know, you could make a career out of this, and you could go to drama school,’ And I was like, ‘What the hell's that?’

I would be able to challenge by saying, ‘Well, I can do this and I can do that. Don't limit me by what you think a working class actor can do, what you think a Black actor can do’

You are making your return to Doctor Who after thirteen years, in the sixtieth anniversary specials, The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle. What was your reaction when you were asked to revisit your role as Shaun Temple?

I was a bit shocked, actually. I was like, how can he be coming back? I have to say it was all very cloak and dagger. I think we filmed around March, April time, and I think it was the October before there was a tentative enquiry as to whether I'd be interested in coming back. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I'd be interested,’ but at the same time it was very, very tentative, and obviously they like to play their cards close to their chest.

At the time I'd been quite busy working, so between me and my agent, we said, ‘Well, yeah, it would be interesting but, you know, I've been busy, so if it fits, then great.’ They were very, very serious about, ‘Right, you can't tell anyone, you can't talk about it.’ I said to my girlfriend, ‘Oh, I'm going to be doing Doctor Who.’ She's like, ‘What?!’ I said…. well, I couldn't tell anyone, you know, I wasn't allowed to talk about it. She said, ‘Yeah, but does that mean me, as well?’ I was like, ‘Yeah. I mean, this is the Whoniverse. You tell no one!’

I mean it's Russell T. Davies back at the helm, so you know it's going to be a wild adventure.

There's going to be lots of crashes and bangs Without going into any spoilers, of course, what can fans expect from the forthcoming specials?

Well, obviously, Catherine Tate and David Tennant... and me. I mean, it's Russell T. Davies back at the helm, so you know it's going to be a wild adventure. It's brilliantly written, as you can imagine. Oh gosh, I mean, there's going to be lots of crashes and bangs. There's going to be… I have to be really careful, haven't I? Yeah, I think there's a new addition to the family.

moment

Then, it felt as if I went to drama school, I could be classically trained and I could do TV and I could do theatre, and it would mean that I wouldn't be hemmed in by any sort of stereotypes - because I would be able to challenge them by saying, ‘Well, I can do this and I can do that. Don't limit me by what you think a working class actor can do, what you think a Black actor can do. I can do anything. I'm trained.’ So that was why the big decision to go to drama school came, and that's why I moved to London at eighteen.

Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the kid's sketch show Your Mother Wouldn't Like It. It was a unique concept for the time, what was it like to work on?

There was a strong core of writers who were what you would call ‘professional writers’, and then there were a few of us from the Workshop who wrote some of the sketches as well, and did some of the ideas for it.

And I was one of those; I wasn't the best one at the writing, but I was part of that group, and actually a lot of the stuff that made it into the show was written by members of the Workshop.

And, you know, if you imagine that we're talking kids between the ages of fourteen to sixteen, those of us who were involved were like, ‘Oh, this is just like a freestyle sketch show.’ The great thing about it was it was kind of adult in its form, but it was very much aimed at young kids, and a bit risky at times, which was great. I mean, it was great being involved in that project, and then I think it was 1986 when we won the BAFTA for Young Children's Show, which was amazing.

There is. Rose, isn't it? Your daughter?

Yes, that's right, played by Yasmin Finney, who obviously people will know from Heartstopper.

What do you think is the secret of Doctor Who's popularity and longevity?

Russell T. Davies said that it's not for kids, and, I mean, when I was young and I could watch Doctor Who, it was really scary, and when you're at a burgeoning age you could start to watch things that are on a bit later.

As young kids, you get sucked into those kinds of adventures. I think that there's something about wanting to be scared or being a bit unsettled, so I think that, because it captures the imagination of a sort of adolescent group, you can also watch with your parents, it's like… I mean, it sounds so corny, doesn't it? It really feels like family entertainment rather than just like a pure kids’ show.

I remember going up the stairs, turning all the lights on, shooting around the corners to make sure there wasn't an alien there. I remember that. I'm sure I didn't like it, because I know I was scared, but there was no way I wanted to miss it. I never wanted to miss the next week.

The Doctor Who sixtieth anniversary specials will air on BBC One and iPlayer on 25 November, 2 and 9 December @mrkarlcollins

leftlion.co.uk/issue166 25

ENVIRONMENT

Positive Change interview: Maab Abdelatif photo: Alex Blades

People of colour’s voices have long been underrepresented in climate change discourse. The University of Nottingham’s Dr. Charles Ogunbode is on a mission to address this imbalance, co-leading a landmark study in climate perspectives - Spotlight: How People of Colour Experience and Engage with Climate Change in Britain. We asked him about the study’s findings, and what needs to change…

Please tell us a bit about you and your work?

If there’s anything that summarises the work it’s that it all comes back to who tells our story, in the broader context of what is happening in the country. I grew up in Nigeria; starting out wanting to be a conservationist, but I soon realised that a lot of the big issues weren’t really about science, or ecology. They were about people.

I also realised how white, European, and North American voices dominated the narrative about Africa. My journey brought me into the domain of climate change, where I found the same kind of dominance by Global Northern interests.

The UK usually has very limited representation and input from people of colour (POC) in the environmental sector. If you actually look around, this is a multicultural society, where there’s people with different interests, a diversity of views, and that’s what makes it a nice place to be. But that doesn't necessarily get reflected, particularly in the environmental space - in activism, policymaking, and the jobs that are out there. Addressing that, identifying it, tackling it and finding solutions is a big part of the work that I’ve been doing.

What were the key findings of your research, and were there any unexpected or noteworthy results?

Yes, number one was the kind of experiences that people talked about - the vast majority of people of colour in this study mentioned the prominence of heatwaves; we know that people of colour are more likely to live in urban areas, so these impacts are much greater for them. Secondly, when we asked people about the barriers in terms of participating and getting involved with climate change or activism, one of the main barriers was people felt like they didn't have enough understanding of the issue. But I don't think this should be equated with POC not having awareness - everything we do, our entire existence is affected, is touched by climate change, we exist in this climate all the time, you cannot not be aware of the climate.

The real issue here is language; the language of climate change has been made to be exclusive, unduly complicated. There’s an opportunity to build global solidarity around the effects of climate change globally by connecting our shared experiences, especially with those in the Global South, worst affected but with the least voice. Connecting with people within their own reality, what they’re already living. We need to be better at doing that.

If we think about what we can do within our own communities, how can we take steps on a day to day, that is highly valuable To what extent do socioeconomic factors intersect with racial identities in shaping the experiences of individuals in the context of climate change?

I think it's a really big part and a very thorny issue to unpack; how do we separate issues around class and lower incomes from race? It's true, those things are independent factors, but they also overlap a lot, and the people who are at that intersection get the absolute worst of it.

So when we think about the geographic level stuff: where do you live? What facilities are available there? What's the quality of the green spaces? How close are you to good quality health care facilities? It all stacks up, and not in

26leftlion.co.uk/issue166 26

the favour of people of colour in this country. With the case of climate change it’s very difficult to pin these aspects down because of the lack of evidence and data, but if you don't ask the question to begin with and you didn't collect the evidence to begin with, that doesn't mean it's not there. It's just like closing your eyes and being like because I don't see you, you're not there.

We need to rethink the entire system and values driving how we live and consume.

Whether addressing the climate crisis or global security, a justice lens is crucial for sustainability and equity for everybody.

What policy recommendations or actions can be derived from your findings to address the unique experiences and challenges faced by POC in relation to climate change?

There's a critical need for evidence, because people can’t campaign effectively if you don’t have evidence. We also need to make more effort to get that evidence in the hands of the people who are actually going to do something about it.

That joined-up thinking is necessary across sectors, across different actors to be able to really drive change forward. This involves not only addressing issues of diversity and inequality, but also ensuring that efforts are well thought out, applied effectively, and evaluated for their impact, avoiding a cycle of repeating ineffective strategies.

How do you think we can go about communicating with the public and getting more POC involved in environmental projects?

The environment sector is not necessarily the most accessible for people of colour, you've got to have a certain sort of background, particular qualifications and worldview. One of the solutions might be diversifying the ways in which we engage with nature and breaking away from the stereotypical image of an environmentalist; a more inclusive culture, one that embraces different perspectives and visions.

A lot of jobs in the environmental sector are volunteer based and unpaid.

Environmental occupations are also not really considered to be all that prestigious or attractive and there isn’t a lot of encouragement to do it within ethnic minority communities. It’s essential to ascribe more meaning and value to these kinds of roles, as well as providing funding so they’re viable ways of making a living.

From your perspective, what can LeftLion readers do tomorrow to make a positive impact on the environment?

One first step is acknowledging we've got a Carbon Neutral Nottingham 2028 plan, which is very ambitious and aspirational. This city is diverse, and if we can make it work, achieve these ecological goals, and also achieve them in a socially just, equitable, inclusive way, I think other cities will look at us and try to emulate that.

We have the potential to be in that leadership role. So in whatever way people can contribute and be a part of that.

Another step might be just getting some information, there's loads provided by the council. Just have a look at it and think okay, well how does this connect to my life? What can I do here? And what actions can I do? How can I get involved?

It can be demoralising trying to think about ‘I want to solve climate change’ in this big global crisis kind of sense, but if we think about what we can do within our own communities, how we can take steps on a day to day, that is highly valuable.

Read the report at climateexperiences.org

@charlesogunbode

Stage

ghost of Christmas past interview: Ian Kingsbury photo: Ian Tilton

The origins of all things festive, banning mince pies, saving Christmas during Covid, squirting Elton John and a surprising Nottingham connection… We found out all about these things and more, from Neal Foster, Actor-Director of Birmingham Stage Company, who are bringing their 2023 tour of Horrible Christmas to Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall this month…

Hi Neal. So, what can audiences expect from the show?

It's the story of how Christmas came to be what it is today. There are an awful lot of traditions at Christmas time but most of us have no idea why we do them or where they came from. Horrible Histories is coming to take people on a journey through history covering the pivotal moments that created Christmas as we know it.

We meet Sydney Claws who pretends to be a bad Santa.

Following a bad experience of Christmas he goes back through history to the moments that shaped our modern Christmas traditions, to see if he can destroy Christmas forever. There are lots of horrible facts along the way and the show is very funny and rude in places.

You’ll laugh, but you’ll also leave knowing an awful lot about why we celebrate Christmas the way we do.

There are lots of horrible facts along the way and the show is very funny and rude in places My nine year old is a huge fan of Horrible Histories and one of her questions, ‘when is it set’ but it sounds like it's a broad sweep of history?

Exactly. We examine many Christmas traditions and how and when they first came about. For example, we go to Charles Dickens' house to see him having the idea for A Christmas Carol. We go back to the Puritan times when they banned Christmas, then forward to Charles II to see him restore it. In Tudor times we find out that Henry VIII championed the eating of turkey, and if you’ve ever wondered why we exchange presents at Christmas, you’ll discover that we have Saint Nicholas to thank for that. We even end up back in Bethlehem, where it all started. We visit these glorious historical periods with all these extraordinary characters (and some fantastic costumes, I might add).

Am I right in thinking you're both directing and acting for this production?

That's right. It's a challenge but I’m surrounded by people who I can trust, so you're not on your own, you're doing it with a team. I recently did the BBC prom at the Royal Albert Hall over the summer, called ‘Orrible Opera which I directed and acted in. That was a major challenge because I was dealing with an orchestra, chorus and opera singers. But the key is to bring everybody with you. It's worked so far and it's really, really enjoyable because it stretches you to the max.

You mentioned the ensemble, the team. Can you tell us a bit about Birmingham Stage Company?

Well, we've been going for 31 years. We've got some actors in this show who've been with me for over twenty years but also three new actors. But most of our actors have been in Horrible Histories shows, so they really know how it works. But established or new, they are all lovely people with

a real sense of fun, who really understand the style, because Horrible Histories is a very specific style.

An entry point for a lot of people will be the CBBC series, although the books obviously pre-date that.

Is it quite faithful to the spirit of the TV series?

Yes, I think it is. The opera we just did at the Albert Hall was the first time we've worked together as a cast. But because we started with the books, we matched up very neatly in understanding how we wanted to tell the stories through the medium of Horrible Histories.

Everything we do is very, very similar because we're all hugely inspired by Terry's great books.

What’s Terry (Deary – the creator of the Horrible Histories series of books) like?

He's one of the most remarkable people. His enthusiasm and dedication, and the sheer energy he puts into every Horrible Histories project is remarkable. He's always been that way. Age has done nothing to diminish his enthusiasm and his care.

Are there any Nottingham connections amongst the cast or crew?

Well, I only live forty minutes away from Nottingham, in north Warwickshire. Actually, when I first launched my company - before it became Birmingham Stage Company - I toured Nottinghamshire with a show about DH Lawrence, who of course was from Eastwood in Nottingham. Does Mapperley ring a bell?

Just up the road from me…

Well, prior to the DH Lawrence show, Mapperley hosted my first ever play. I recently found a poster for it which reminded me that I put it on at Mapperley village hall. So, Nottingham has always been an important place for us. As a company we regularly perform at the Theatre Royal. We’ve performed there consistently for the last twenty years. We love Nottingham audiences.

Do you have a favourite Horrible Christmas fact?

Can you believe that the Puritans - who really didn't like Christmas because they thought it was blasphemous banned mince pies?! I think that's quite strict. I mean, ban Christmas by all means, but leave our mince pies alone. I also like the fact that Henry VIII banned all games on Christmas Day. The only games you were allowed to take part in were archery and leaping and vaulting.

Your version of Horrible Christmas has become a bit of a Christmas institution I hear?

Yes, it all started with the production at the Derby Playhouse in 2013, and we’ve toured it virtually every year since then. We even managed to tour it during Covid. We were the only show that toured the whole of Christmas on that first year of Covid because we toured it outside, in car parks and at race courses.

Thankfully lockdowns and tiers are distant memories now, but as the tier system started to creep up around Christmas, they started shutting down the South, then the Midlands. We were the only show left

performing on New Year's Eve because we managed to be further North and we were outside. Everyone came and sat in their cars and watched the show, listening through their car radios. We performed it on the back of a big lorry with a big video screen.

So in some ways this show, which is all about saving Christmas, saved Christmas for us in 2020 and 2021.

Literally tens of thousands of people saw it, and it was their only theatre experience during that difficult time. It was amazing how the public came out. I think we completely sold out the whole tour in about two days. It was a fantastic experience. So yes, it's been with us more than ten years now and it's a very important part of our experience as a theatre company.

Over the last decade, have you had any memorable audience moments?

Keir Starmer came to see the show in London. He enjoyed it! We've had the royal family come to see some of our other shows. We sometimes interact with our audiences and during one show we go into the audience with a water pistol. I think Elton John got a liberal squirt in the face. So yes, even if you're famous you're still not safe at our productions.

What's next for the company?

We’re off to Bahrain with our West End production of Terrible Tudors. And we're doing our big production next year which is David Walliams’ Awful Auntie which we’ll be touring and, almost certainly I think, bringing to Nottingham.

As a company we regularly perform at the Theatre Royal. We love Nottingham audiences Obviously you’re bringing the show to Nottingham during Panto season. Could it be an alternative to going to a panto this year?

Definitely. There are lots of pantomime elements.

There's a Christmas sing along and it's full of jokes and songs. It's got a lot of the fun elements you’d expect from a Christmas show. But because it’s the story of Christmas, I think in many ways it’s the quintessential Christmas show. You’re hearing the story of Christmas and you're meeting these extraordinary historic characters through the lens of Horrible Histories.

Well, I’ll be there with two very excited young fans.

I’ll ask Henry VIII to say hi - though don’t expect him to save you a mince pie. See you there!

Get your tickets for Horrible Christmas at the Royal Concert Hall on 27 December 2023 trch.co.uk/whats-on/horrible-christmas

27

SCREEN

The Academy A-Roards Forget the Oscars and the BAFTAs, the only recognition filmmakers really desire is the approval of us proper cinephiles at LeftLion. So, props to this lot, who made it onto our coveted list of the best films of 2023…

Afire - Oliver Parker (Screen Co-Editor) Departing from more nail-biting politically driven thrillers, Christian Petzold crafts a looser, more lightweight film with Afire. Set on the German coast, with an ominous forest fire slowly approaching, the film revolves around a few days in the life of a writer struggling to finish his second novel. His ill-tempered personality and mild neurosis causes him to be in constant conflict with the people around him, lashing out when they try to offer support and friendship.

Petzold creates a tone that fluctuates between tragic, comedic and tense: often being all three of these at once. It's through the mundanity of real life that he manages to craft a world that feels wholly real and relatable. With the ever burning German sun and the lapping of the Baltic sea providing glimmers of beauty and romanticism that punctuate the moments of sadness. A beautiful film that offers few answers to its beguiling ambiguities, yet it stays on the brain long after the credits roll. Available to rent on Amazon.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - Joanna Hoyes As much as it may not be the most obvious choice - and I don’t select it for its originality or surprise factor - I genuinely enjoyed Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. I think that when you leave a cinema, you should feel something; whatever emotion it may be, you should always have a reaction. This film was so full of action and stunts that I practically ran out of the theatre high on my own adrenaline. I also loved how many great female actors were cast and the different characters they all played to complement the film’s plot.

Incidentally, one of the worst films I saw was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – please don’t bother – however, it was the film I remember most this year, as my boyfriend proposed to me the next morning.

Available to rent on Amazon.

28 28 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

The Eight Mountains - George White (Screen Co-Editor) Some films are more than just a film - they’re a lesson, a fable that sticks with you long after the credits roll. Well, considering I saw Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s Italian drama way back in May and I still think about it on a daily basis, it’s safe to say The Eight Mountains is one of those.

Covering relationships, friendships, brotherhood and parenthood; hyper-masculinity, ego, chasing dreams and accepting (or struggling to accept) failure, it’s a genuine masterpiece that has so much to say without very much happening, and one that everyone would be better off from seeing.

Also, the gut punch of Daniel Norgren’s Everything You Know Melts Away Like Snow is perhaps the single best use of a song in cinema history. Okay, gushing over.

Available on the BFI Player.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Jamie Morris 2023 hasn’t been kind to the MCU, with dwindling critical and commercial success spelling an uncertain future for the franchise.

However, the conclusion to James Gunn’s epic Guardians saga is an exception to this trend.

Vol. 3 jettisons a number of MCU conventions – while the signature self-aware comedy remains, it’s at times an unusually sombre and violent entry in the Marvel canon that lands some serious emotional gut-punches. Furthermore, there’s virtually no set-up for future instalments here – Gunn gets complete freedom to give these characters a satisfying send-off, putting his trilogy on a par with the sci-fi genre’s very best.

Available on Disney Plus.

Suzume - Gemma Cockrell (Assistant Editor) As a huge fan of everything Makoto Shinkai has ever directed, Suzume was my most anticipated film of 2023, heightened by the four long months that I had to wait before it arrived here in the UK after it was initially released over in Japan back in November last year.

Protagonist Suzume is a defiant and strong-willed female lead, who sets out to save Japan in this supernatural animated thriller which tackles important topics, namely the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 that killed nearly 20,000 people. The perfect film for a solo cinema trip, this is one well worth seeing on the big screen, if you ever get the chance.

Not yet available to stream.

Tchaikovsky's Wife - Farzad Azimbeik Kirill Serebrennikov’s latest feature film is his first experience in biopic film and period drama, and a major point in his oeuvre. As the title expresses, Tchaikovsky's Wife explores the life and sadistic love story of Antonina, a young girl who fatally bounds into a doomed marriage with Tchaikovsky, who discovered his homosexuality in the peak of his career.

The film is a direct critique on themes such as the nineteenthcentury noble milieu in Russia, infectious poverty, and the unholy marriage between orthodoxy and patriarchy. Serebrennikov masterfully executes his unique editing and visual style, which place the narrative on a feverish verge between reality and delusion. The audience encounters the mental and emotional collapse of Antonina and her failing attempts to regain a losing life – a life she never had, and only lived in her mind.

Not yet available to stream.

Sick of Myself - Francesca Beaumont Norwegian tragicomedy ‘Syk-Pike’ satires contemporary culture's absurd clamour for attention with a seamlessly Scandinavian sense of humanity that escalates emotion and unrelenting vanity to egoist extremity over the short span of 95 minutes.

Up-and-coming Director Kristoffer Borgli uses conceited young woman Signe’s dangerous descent into self-obsession as a conduit through which he dissects the most obnoxious, self-aggrandising traits that sit within us all, perfecting a film that is equal parts amusing as it is deeply disturbing.

Available on the BFI Player.

Saint Omer - Aaron Roe So often the courtroom drama has been defined by desk-slamming bursts of passion, shock witnesses bursting through the door or the rousing melodrama of an underdog lawyer. But in Saint Omer, Alice Diop's extraordinary fiction debut showcasing two mesmerising performances, these passions lurk under the surface of languid gazes.

Diop's slow-burner centres on the trial of Laurence Coly, a woman accused of murdering her fifteen-month-old daughter.

Sensing a compelling story, Paris-based novelist and academic Rama observes the proceedings, collating evidence for her publisher. Don't let this film's poise fool you – as the parallels between the two women become more defined, the feature becomes a hypnotic dissection of generational trauma, motherhood and witchcraft.

Available on MUBI.

leftlion.co.uk/issue166 29

Music

a divorce to be reckoned with words: Gemma Cockrell photo: Alex Evans

words: Maddie Dinnage illustration: Harry Batten

Oh, Christmas Streams The festive music landscape is an industry in itself. Throwing it back to the age of physical records, the likes of Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, and Slade had lucratively gained themselves the cheat code to an impressive yearly cash injection.

Whether you’ve heard them at one of Nottingham’s music festivals such as Dot to Dot or Hockley Hustle, or more recently on Radio 1, Divorce are poised for huge success in 2024, following the release of their Heady Metal EP last month and a sold-out headline tour that they are in the midst of. While they were in Brighton supporting Willie J Healey, we caught up with vocalist and bassist Tiger Cohen-Towell, vocalist and guitarist Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, and guitarist Adam Peter Smith…

On a Friday morning in November, I found Divorce in a Travelodge in Brighton, following their show with Willie J Healey the previous evening. "When you're the support, it's a guaranteed crowd, but they're not there to see us," Tiger says. "We thought people might not come to our headline shows, but they're almost all sold out! They're not massive rooms but they'll be full.” Adam adds; "Our heads aren't getting any smaller for a while!"

Within the band's home city of Nottingham, there's an undeniable buzz surrounding Divorce. It feels like they are on the cusp of being the 'next big thing', achieving a taste of national success when singles from Heady Metal began receiving love from 6 Music and even Radio 1. Despite this, the band refrain from altering their formula. "It feels like we're still doing what we did when we started," Adam says.

"We go away to a writing retreat and just write and play together, which is what we did in the early days, except it was in a rehearsal space in our house back then."

Tiger and Felix left Nottingham and relocated to London for a year, but returned after “not feeling enthralled” with their new surroundings. "I was there studying, but I stopped because I wanted to commit to the band," Tiger explains. "A good thing about Nottingham is that if you're touring, it's right in the middle, so you can get back from pretty much anywhere," Felix adds. “I don’t know how long we’ll all be in Nottingham, but it’s our spiritual home, even if we're not there all the time."

In a year’s time, I simply hope that we’ll still be doing it They credit Nottingham's music scene not only for what it has done for them since Divorce formed, but also for introducing them to each other in the first place. "None of us would have met each other without all of the shows that happen every day of the week in Nottingham - open mics and things like that at JamCafe, The Bodega... Those venues mean a lot to us," Felix says. "It's a connected web - we all had different projects before Divorce even formed, and we were admiring each other’s projects from afar," Tiger adds.

Their “darkly humorous” name was chosen due to its “strong and memorable” nature, and it has definitely generated some humorous remarks - from fans saying ‘my husband/ wife isn’t going to like this’ at the merch table, to a direct message from a man whose T-shirt arrived in the post on the exact day that his divorce was finalised. "Maybe we'll have an era where we all get married and we can sing about that!" Felix laughs. "I do wonder sometimes if it will be my downfall... I was thinking of getting a tattoo of it, but what if I want to get married one day?"

Heady Metal will have been released by the time you are reading this, but they promise that there are more surprises up their sleeves that are still yet to be revealed. "There are

30

some visuals coming with one of the songs that will blow all your heads off because they’re so ridiculous," Tiger says.

"It should come with a warning, really - a trigger warning!"

Adam laughs, "You won't be able to unsee it." Felix adds: "We haven't seen the edit yet but there's no way it can't be terrifying and frightening - but also incredibly…” he pauses for suspense, “breath-taking." Very intriguing...

Even though there were a handful of unreleased songs from the EP when I was speaking to them, they already found that people were singing the words back to them at their shows. "They don't all boo when we play them, at least!"

Felix laughs. "It's always a bit less of a reaction, of course, but people who come to a lot of shows do know them even though they're unreleased." Tiger adds; "For a while, people have been singing the chorus to Eat My Words. Divorce fans love to sing!" With all of the debate about gig etiquette right now, it's refreshing to hear that Divorce fans are a nice, respectful bunch.

This month will see the band perform at a sold-out Rescue Rooms, the biggest venue on their headline tour. "That is really silly to us. This far in advance, it just feels wild,” Felix laughs. “Even though it’s our hometown show, it was actually one of the slowest selling ones," Adam admits, something that he says that Willie J Healey also experienced with his hometown show in Oxford that was taking place that evening. But then Tiger, pointing out that it is double the size of the other venues they are playing, adds, “It's an iconic venue to us, and being able to play to that many people in Nottingham will be a privilege."

The radio plays that the band have received from Steve Lamacq of 6 Music has helped them to gain new fans, who have visibly been supporting Divorce by turning up to their shows. “I was sitting outside the venue after we played last night; I was eating some fried chicken. This guy came along wearing a really big hat and asked me to shake his hand but my hands were covered in chicken,” Felix says. “But I shook his hand anyway, and he said he’d heard us through 6 Music.

Radio fans listen to your music, and they don’t care if your hands are covered in chicken!” he laughs.

The music video for Scratch Your Metal features an older counterpart of each Divorce member, and while I don’t expect them to be looking that far into the future quite yet, I was intrigued about what’s next for the band. “I won’t say the word, but it would be really nice to do an EP but longer…”

Felix tails off. Tiger adds with sincerity, “Every bit of nice news you get, you’re always grateful for it, because we spent so long trying to do it. So in a year’s time, I simply hope that we’ll still be doing it. Hopefully the good things will keep happening for a long time.”

Divorce are headlining Rescue Rooms on 16 December and Heady Metal is available to stream now @divorcehq

But in the era of streaming, seasonal records don’t have the same appeal that they used to. So why is it that so many artists continue to release Christmas music?

The optimist in me wants to say, because it’s the most wonderful time of the year! But the grinch on my shoulder tells me that it’s the promise of eternal relevance that has modern artists clutching their jingle bells.

Streaming culture has seen a rise in mood-based listening, meaning a position on a festive tracks Spotify playlist can guarantee artists a boost in streams every December. It seems that few are immune to the festive fever, with the likes of Ariana Grande, Destiny’s Child, Coldplay, and even Kanye West jumping on Santa’s Bandwagon.

Ultimately though, Christmas is a time of homecoming and nostalgia, a pattern that is reflected in streaming trends. No matter how hard the modern artist tries to break into the festive canon, it’s the golden oldies which win out every year.

But perhaps that’s the point. For the modern artist, existing on the peripherals of the Christmas music industry is the ideal path to an annual boost in streams, without basing your whole brand on snow-covered lanes and candy canes. @maddiedinnage

Bonfire Night (Single) A song of delicate, timeless, folk-imbued beauty, Bonfire Night tells an honest and touching story of a couple’s love, made special through its ordinariness. From a gentle start of finger-picked acoustic guitar, the song picks up pace, carries it on with an accompaniment of subtly glitchy drums, and takes it through to a lilting conclusion. Meanwhile, as she sings about her parents, Emily’s soulful vocals wash the whole scene with clarifying, guiding light. It’s a whole lifetime in a four-minute song, and a superb example of what modern folk songwriting can achieve. Phil Taylor

PASTE.

Hockley Hustle (Single) Previewed and officially released on the very day of the festival that it is named after, which saw the band headline the BBC Introducing stage at The Bodega, Hockley Hustle is the second single from PASTE., following the release of Drain earlier this year. The instrumentation of the track perfectly captures the beautifully organised chaos that defines the festival, and demonstrates that PASTE. are definitely a band to keep a close eye on. It is heartwarming to see a band representing Notts’ local scene in this way and the song serves as a proud tribute to one of the most-loved events on the city’s musical calendar.

Gemma Cockrell

Music Reviews

Emily Ashberry

Catmilk

Artichoke (EP) When an EP starts with a spoken word piece, I’m instantly sold. This collection feels like a love letter to the soul, complete with all the wobbly nuances of complex human emotion. The instrumental portion at the end of Hailstones, Clocktower, Hummingbird was a nostalgic strike to the heart in itself, strings and percussion locked in a deadly embrace. Meanwhile, Dreaming of Brooklyn is a six-minute-long powerhouse in which Catmilk really flex their experimental muscles, playing with a slow and deliberate bluesy sound.

No doubt, Artichoke is the best EP I've listened to this year. Maddie Dinnage

The Cost of Loving

Esports Player (Single) It was the name of this band that drew me to them in the first place, but it was the music that made me stay for longer. Their most recent single Esports Player is smooth and atmospheric, yet simultaneously catchy and uplifting, and it is guaranteed to stay both in your head and your rotational playlist for a long time. Integrating influences from genres including dance, indie, electronica, pop, and more, this threepiece band are onto a winning formula with this one. Gemma Cockrell

Baby Tap

ENKI (Album) The chaotic energy that derives from a relentless, unforgiving identity sounds like ENKI. The fourteentrack album exudes sci-fi ballroom (Up The F*ck), gabba sarcasm (Owie), and digital hardcore styles, all of which combine to create Baby Tap’s take on ancient futurism and to simply ask: what would the ancient god, Enki, think of our modernity? Would he resort to a carefree rave atop the crumbling debris of society?

ENKI takes this hypothesis and rewrites the rules of music and society, which was evident at the album’s electronic queer rave release party which took place at Rough Trade last month. Roxann Yus

Michael Vickers

A Life In A Day (Album) Folk singer-songwriter Michael Vickers received high praise from BBC Introducing’s Dean Jackson when he released the first single from this album, I Already Love You, so we just knew we had to check out the full thing, which is titled A Life In A Day. Taking things back to how he fell in love with music in the first place, Vickers recorded these acoustic tunes by simply playing them live in the studio. The result? A raw, heartfelt, and personal project, which leaves everything right there on the table. Gemma Cockrell

If you’re from Nottingham and want to get added to our list of music writers, or get your tunes reviewed, hit us up at music@ leftlion.co.uk

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ART

Don’t be Ridykeulous! words: Francesca Beaumont photo: Nicole Eisenman & A.L. Steiner

Nottingham Contemporary's latest exhibition adheres perfectly to the evolving form of art enjoyment, and acts as the ideal exhibition to keep on revisiting and learning from Nottingham Contemporary’s latest interactive art installation Ridykeulous is host to over thirty intergenerational queer artists, all of whom utilise the distinct lens of the queer experience to satirise culturally conditioned forms of self-expression and modernise out-dated stratifications of gender identity…

Throughout history, the body has been presented as a predominately political unit, a way to channel social norms and regulate any form of individuality. But through an array of whimsical art compositions Ridykeulous takes this and, instead, transforms the body into an index of liberation, completely divorcing it from the predisposition of politics.

The opening gallery does this transformation through digitised means; a spatial split between a theatricalized on screen spectacle of gender dynamics and a cornucopia of small television screens playing a variety of queer short films, we are invited to spend as long - or as little - as we want listening and learning about the queer experience.

Sex as a means of subversion is the motif that ties each gallery piece together, but as we progress into the second gallery, a wide screen ballet performance, we branch out into the larger message that undergirds the whole exhibition; how the governing forms of masculinity harm, not only the queer community, but everyone - and in particular, young boys.

In Galleries four and five, the works of artists Young Joon Kwak and Alli Miller use over-exaggerated theatrics to poke fun at the purity-concept so invariable inside of pop culture, using eroticised subjugation as a comedic piece. Railing against a world of heteronormativity and masculine domination, the final galleries root themselves inside an echo chamber of absurdity, pieces of creativity that build upon one another to reach a climax of ridiculousness.

In contemporary culture, exhibitions like Ridykeulous are incredibly important in disintegrating gender barriers. They breathe fresh air into widely upheld outdated beliefs and they expose our own complicity in the modes of sexual oppression. Ridykeulous does not present itself as a lesson - in fact, quite the opposite - but it can certainly be engaged with in such a way.

It is true that there is a changing sociological structure in regards to modern art enjoyers , less so are galleries - particularly contemporary ones - reserved for the old cultural elite, and this is why it is more important than ever to have an exhibition as interactive and multifaceted as Ridykeulous. With such a surfeit of things to see, from such a large variety of artists, Nottingham Contemporary's latest exhibition adheres perfectly to the evolving form of art enjoyment, and acts as the ideal exhibition to keep on revisiting and learning from.

You can find Ridykeulous at Nottingham Contemporary until Sunday 7 January @nottm_contemp

to try

to visit

to do

Art On the Menu - Solstice Feast An evening of feasting on food and art to celebrate the winter solstice! Enjoy a social three course vegan dinner and get crafty with some arty activities.

Friday 22 December, City Arts

Radiate at Surface Gallery Featuring a mixture of practices by the gallery's dedicated community of volunteers (including our very own Art Editor George Dunbar), Surface Gallery’s new exhibition Radiate is open until 16 December. @surfacegallery

Sketchy Shrooms Tune into your inner forager and have mush fun at this fungi drawing workshop, full of prompts and ideas.

No experience required. Art supplies supplied.

Sunday 3 December, Mammoth Cinema

BRUSH sTROKES

A young male ballet dancer, dancing at an awkward out of pace tempo amongst an array of ‘proper’ ballet dancers, the boy, purely through measure of his own existence, creates a sharp juxtaposition to the youthful feminine delicacy surrounding him. Curator Klara Liden explains that the piece is a representation of conformity in a capitalist society, asking the question, what happens when an outsider enters the group? Inside of the scope of the Ridykeulous exhibition this nonconformity speaks to the specific style of male self-contempt harnessed inside of a patriarchal culture, a culture that socialises young boys to live in a constant fluctuation between masculine pride and emasculating self-expression.

Each gallery garners visibility towards queer expression in their own unique ways, with the masculine/feminine symbolism in the ballet dancing presenting itself as a sort-of internal, private affair, but the rejection of queer stigma is anything but opaque and subtle in the galleries that follow suit.

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34 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

fashion

In stitches interview: Addie Kenogbon photos: Mary Broddle

In honour of International Day of Persons with Disabilities which takes place on 3 December, we caught up with Notts embroiderer, business owner and disability champion Mary Broddle to find out how following her diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, she turned adversity into a successful business, Mary Broddle Embroidery, and re-ignited a childhood passion…

Since its launch in 2019, Mary Broddle Embroidery has been shifting perceptions around needlework, mindfulness and sustainable mending through engaging workshops, embroidery kits and stunning one-off pieces. But running an embroidery business was far from what Mary expected her life to look like. “All I'd ever wanted to be was a mechanical engineer,” Mary says. “I come from a family full of them. I spent twenty years in rail engineering, travelling UK and Europe around train depots and factories but I then got diagnosed with EDS and everything changed.”

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) is the term given to a rare group of inherited conditions that affect the connective tissue within the body. Symptoms can vary from person to person but can include joint hypermobility; stretchy or fragile skin that breaks or bruises easily; extreme fatigue and loose, unstable joints that dislocate easily. According to a recent study, in the UK, EDS affects approximately ten people out of every 5,000.

“When you have EDS, you injure really easily and when you do, it's really hard to recover properly,” Mary explains. “And for me, over the years it got worse. I've been living with chronic pain since 2004 and then when I had my kids in my thirties, it got harder. I got more and more disabled. I reached a point in 2019 where I couldn't drive anymore as my leg was too weak to use the pedals, and it was impossible to get to Derby for my engineering job.”

Mary first learnt embroidery after being taught by her mum as a child, but it was a chance visit to John Lewis which helped reignite her passion and put her on a track towards a very different career path. “I did loads of embroidery during my school years but I got back into it when I gave up smoking. I always joke that I had an epiphany in the John Lewis haberdashery section. I picked up a needle kit and I just found my passion for it again, so I went on a series of courses.”

However, it wasn’t until lockdown that Mary made the decision to take the plunge and do embroidery full time: “All the discussions I'd had about going into consultancy for engineering had dried up and I thought, ‘I've got all these skills from my corporate life and I have really good embroidery skills, I must be able to do something with it.’ So three years ago, I set up my business.”

Mary then joined the local Embroiderers' Guild, tried as many techniques as she could and got more and more skilled. “Having to leave my career, I wanted something that challenged me from a design point of view. I have engineering and design training so it

35

was about channelling that creativity in a different way.” Recognising the damaging effect of the fashion industry on the world, Mary developed a range of kits and a series of workshops, the first of which was her modern visible mending workshop. It uses the traditional Japanese techniques of Sashiko to patch and mend garments, while making a feature of the repairs made to the clothes.

“We’re in a world now where many people treat clothes as disposable and I don’t think many people realise the impact of fast fashion. I totally get the overconsumption. I've been there. That was my retail therapy but I’m past that now. I think there's something about buying something good and keeping it going by mending and rewearing. I've come across a lot of people who are really pledging not to buy brand new, which is great. But one thing about buying second hand is it's going to get holes in sooner, so I encourage people to put a bit of their own personality in there. I really think that visible mending is like an eco badge of honour, a bit like cotton tote bags were ten to fifteen years ago.”

I really want to try and get other isolated people like me out and connecting with others through my classes Visible mending comes in many forms and can involve sewing patches on top or under a hole or tear, or stitching patterns in different coloured threads over rips. 2022 saw Mary develop a new concept, mindful stitching, which uses traditional Japanese and Indian techniques of hand embroidery to aid relaxation and stress reduction, by letting the needle and thread move freely across the fabric, without a clear pattern to follow or design in mind.

“A lot of embroidery can be super precise but with mindful embroidery, it's not about that. It's just letting your mind roam during what I call thread doodling. It doesn't matter what you're sewing, it's just pulling the needle and thread through that engages different parts of your brain and overwrites the fight or flight. Engaging in crafts is proven to lower the stress hormones in your blood. It gives you time to contemplate which helps your emotional well-being and calms your thoughts. I describe it as a yoga class for the mind.” Mary now has a packed calendar of embroidery workshops across the county, with four monthly events. These include Saturday mornings at Ford & Guy in Beeston, the third Tuesday of the month at Hopkinson, and the

first and second Tuesday of the month at West Bridgford café Bubble & Bean.

“Sewing has brought people together for the whole of human history, with people throughout time, sitting, sewing together and connecting,” Mary explains. “And you don't have to be witty and charming or have the best anecdotes. You're just doing something altogether and the conversation flows. What I want to do is bring people together.

It's been totally lost over the last hundred years, that history of embroidery, but also having that wellbeing effect from it. Instead, it became something that was seen as something the housewife did behind closed doors. So, let's start again without those preconceptions.”

As well as the sustainability factor, she believes they could also provide a solution for loneliness, especially for other disabled members of the community. “I really want to try and get other isolated people like me out and connecting with others through my classes,” she says. “As a younger person who gets really isolated, everything takes place in church halls for the over seventies, and it just makes you even feel more disabled. And I'm very aware that there isn't much out there unless you're sporty or you're boozy. I love meeting new people.

I realise that's what I missed about my old job, but workshops have given me a way to do that.”

As well as Mary’s classes, those looking to channel the power of mindfulness through needlework, or to try their hand at breathing new life into old clothes through creative visible mending, can also purchase one of Mary’s kits. Available at Ford and Guy and the Framework Knitters Museum in Ruddington, Mary is looking for more stockists over the coming year.

“I think that my motto with my disability has always been, ‘There's always something you can do.’ It's very easy to sit on the sofa and be negative and depressed. And I get that feeling still sometimes, but you start doing embroidery and that dissipates.

And that helped me cope with disability and chronic pain over the years. Even if you aren't creative, it can become a learning journey, and that's proven to be so good for brain health because you're getting your neural pathways building all the time.”

Mary Broddle’s events take place on Saturday mornings at Ford & Guy, the third Tuesday of the month at Hopkinson, and the first and second Tuesday of the month at Bubble & Bean @marybroddle_embroidery

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food

Wunder-bar interview: Julia Head photo: Sophie Gargett

If you're a local 'Beestonian' you've probably spotted The Berliner on your daily tram travels.

Taking inspiration from Nottingham's independent bar scene and the unapologetic uber-cool spirit of Berlin, it has firmly placed Beeston on the map, whether you’re looking for after-work drinks, two-for-one cocktails, or live music. Our Food Editor, Julia Head caught up with Katie Elnor and Curtis Salmon, two young twenty-somethings who have known one another since childhood, to chat about how fate brought them to taking a job at The Berliner and eventually owning it together…

You’ve both been running the bar for six months now. You’re something of a two-person tour de force, so tell us, how did you meet and how would you describe your friendship?

Katie: We’re both from Beeston Rylands and have known one another since nursery school, we’re both 26 years old and only one month apart. We became the best of friends on the school playground when we were seven years old; we were just two kids playing games by the fence who bonded over our mutual weirdness of making up choreographed dances.

We’ve also lived most of our lives together, and our relationship is really open and honest. I trust Curtis with all of my being, and I don’t ever second-guess myself around him. We finish each other’s sentences, and he doesn’t even need to say anything. I can see when he is working on something and needs help and I’ll just pick it up and finish it off. We are quite symbiotic, like Siamese twins.

We’re completely transparent; we share the good and the bad, whatever we are thinking it’s shared so that we’re on the same page. A lot of people think we’re a couple because there’s no barrier or boundary between us. We’d say SpongeBob and Patrick perfectly sums up our dynamic.

People think that only a certain type of young or trendy person would visit us, when really, we attract anyone and everyone. For example, my grandparents had this notion that they couldn’t come to The Berliner, and I was like, yes you can!

The love between you both is enviable, not many people can say the same about one of their colleagues. How would you describe The Berliner, what sort of bar is it… what makes it unique?

Curtis: We’re quite an alternative bar and I think most people think that only a certain type of young or trendy person would visit us, when really, we attract anyone and everyone from all walks of life and they all mingle so well.

For example, my grandparents had this notion that they couldn’t come to The Berliner, and I was like, yes you can! It makes us happiest when we’ve left a good enough impression that people want to come back. Everyone is welcome. It’s another thing we love about Beeston, because in the city centre you can kind of get that separation of different tribes, but in our community here everyone feels like they belong.

36leftlion.co.uk/issue166 36

We’re also fascinated by your 'origin story' - How did two up-and-comers in their twenties end up owning one of the coolest bars in town?

Katie: It’s been a bit of an evolution to get here since the bar opened in 2016, I think. We both worked with the previous owner, James, who encouraged a culture where if we had any creative ideas about the bar, we could run with it.

It’s always been a place for growth and when it was time for James to move on, he had naturally seen how well Curtis and I worked together so we were given

the unbelievable offer to take over the bar. Everyone in this industry works, really, really hard but they don’t always pass the barrier of being able to own their own place. We just worked hard in the right place and got rewarded greatly for it. It felt very much like the passing of the torch, and as James came to the end of his journey at The Berliner, he saw that we could be at the start of ours.

Curtis: To James’ credit, he nurtures the best out of people, and that’s a legacy we inherited from the very beginning that we want to continue with everyone working here, even our friendship with James goes back to school days. I was blown away by the faith that he had in us, and this opportunity is incredibly rare and it’s very empowering. In four years, we’ve seen a lot of versions of this place, and it amazes us that it keeps evolving.

Your food and your beer have proved to be massive hits with the locals. Where do you take your inspiration from? We’re particularly huge fans of the Berlin style potatoes…

Katie: I’ve worked in kitchens before, and I love food, especially comfort food.

I do a lot of online research and look at traditional German style dishes. We twisted our version of German fried potatoes to make it more commercial with added toppings and cheese, and we have vegan options too. We’ve refreshed the menu a few times, and we all test it together. In terms of the food collaborations that we do, we don’t often get to visit street food markets on the weekends, so we brought it to the bar in a different dynamic, where you can drink nice cocktails and have plenty of seating and be comfortable. We also think that everybody should have the opportunity to showcase their great food alongside ours.

Curtis: With our beers, we walk the line between what we know our customers want and what we can have a play with, so it’s a case of having your classics and then making sure we have a German range that you don’t see everywhere. Our more interesting beers can’t be found in a Wetherspoons, for instance.

We feel like The Berliner is at the heartbeat of the Beeston community. What is most important to you about these two things?

Katie: We love the diversity of Beeston and love that there are so many people from all over the world with different life experiences that are moving here and staying here, to the place that we were born and that we grew up in. James created a culture that allowed us all to have a creative output, which is not very common in hospitality, so we want to pass that creative freedom down to everyone else who works here so that they can grow too. We’re passionate about keeping that culture for everyone else. We’re a team and we’re all for one, and one for all, as they would say in High School Musical.

The Berliner offers a rotating weekly events calendar of free live entertainment, pub quizzes, and bottomless brunches. The best way to stay up to date is through their Instagram @theberlinerbar 6 High Rd, Chilwell, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 4AE

There's a new(ish) kid in town; Glass Orchid opened their doors in Beeston this September and are proving hugely popular with tapas and cocktail enthusiasts. All traces of the previous Ottimo premises are nowhere to be found, and the new look is modern, moody, and sophisticated - much akin to many contemporary bars you may find yourself falling into when in Manchester...

We attended the soft launch, which was a blast, and allowed us to sample a few of the items on the menu ahead of its official opening (lucky us). The kitchen has a focus on world tapas, and you'll find the likes of chicken lollipops, sliced steak, beetroot cured salmon, and roasted pork belly. Not forgetting the

homemade salty focaccia with a soft Sriracha butter that will make your tongue sing.

Personally, we were wild about 'Grandad's Sandwich' which has layers of stilton, marmalade, and brioche—similar to a bread & butter pudding—on a bed of rich romesco sauce. There's an interesting childhood story behind this dish too, where chef Mark’s grandad used to make stilton and marmalade sandwiches for him after school. This was the star of the show for us, so thank you Mark's grandad.

You're also spoiled for choice with sixteen unique cocktails carefully created to offer something you've never tried before, but the mixologists will whip up a classic too if that's what you're after.

From the dessert menu, we really loved the refreshing mango cheesecake with malted milk biscuit, which was more of a deconstructed cheesecake. The peanut butter and jelly doughnuts are perfect for those who crave sweet, sugary desserts and they also have the added fun of injecting the jelly into the doughnut with a mini syringe. glassorchid.co.uk Unit 5 Beeston, The Sq, Nottingham NG9 2WJ

Pizzamisú When asked the much-anticipated question of ‘Now,what would you like to have for dinner?’ after a long day, the answer is a no-brainer.

From a quick meal out of the freezer, to a big family take-out to watch the soaps, or a romantic date night plan, pizza is the fanfavourite go-to for most of us.

And when pitching the question to someone who has lived and studied in Nottingham for two years, the answer is most definitely Pizzamisú…

words: Roxann Yus photo: Roxann Yus

Uramaki Sushi Nottingham certainly has a fabulous selection of options when it comes to dining out, but as the colder days and dark evenings descend sometimes you want the best of both worlds: tasty, professionally cooked food and the comfort and cosiness of your own home… Luckily, I was recently introduced to Uramaki, a Nottingham based service that delivers gourmet sushi to your door. Convenient? Very.

Delicious? Absolutely…

Often with take-away or delivery, the food can feel a little let down by poor presentation, or what feels like wasteful packaging, but even before opening to see the rows upon rows of colourful sushi inside, the two sleek cardboard boxes spurred several impressed comments. Not only did they look smart,

food reviews

Glass Orchid

I vividly remember my first time visiting Pizzamisú: a marvellous and unexpected mix of British queue culture with the buzz of an authentic Italian restaurant, as staff shout orders and chat and laugh with one another in their native tongue.

words: Julia Head photo: Julia Head

To get to Pizzamisú’s seating area, you walk past the kitchen where people can grab pizza to-go, meaning that the restaurant’s beloved forementioned queue extends beyond the restaurant, snaking through the kitchen, out to the cobbled street of High Pavement, where it is located.

Despite us Brits’ nature to queue in any situation where it is possible, Italian culture certainly prevails once you get inside the restaurant, and that’s how I knew the food that they were serving here was going to taste amazing.

With a monstrous selection of both vegetarian and meaty pizzas, pastas, and a delicious assortment of traditional Italian desserts, Pizzamisú prepares you for a total transformation to the Amalfi coast, truly bringing Naples into the heart of Notts.

Both their white and red pizza bases proved why, rather than making that tough decision between the two, you should simply get both and share among the group.

Personally, in terms of toppings, I would highly recommend going simple and sticking with the smoked buffalo mozzarella. Why add more and overcomplicate things when the foundation’s already divine? pizzamisu.co.uk 9 High Pavement, Nottingham NG1 1HF

but they can easily be recycled or even used again.

Even the tiny bottle of soy sauce and containers of wasabi and ginger were tempting to keep.

But anyway, moving onto the main event: twelve different types of futomaki, uramaki, nigiri and temari within two boxes, one for the veggies and another with a selection of fish. One of the most interesting things was the more unusual ingredients included. If you are a vegetarian like myself, you may feel a little envious of the more exotic and adventurous options available for meat eating sushi lovers, but it wasn’t just the usual cucumber and avocado in the veggie rolls: juicy pomegranate, crunchy asparagus, caperberry rice, shitake mushroom, caramelised red onion and sweet potato made for some delightfully unique but exquisite flavours throughout.

My meat-eating friends found the fish rolls to be very good quality, silky soft salmon melting in the mouth, soft shell crab smoothly complemented by avocado and masago, a salt cured salmon temari, with masago and lime hitting nicely with a crisp zingy finish. It’s hard to keep a track of exactly what we were snaffling but it was all sushi of the highest order. uramaki.co.uk Delivery or collection only

words: Sophie Gargett photo: Sophie Gargett

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38 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

LITERATURE

For centuries before Mary’s water broke, the only parts of Christmas that existed were fire and mistletoe, and so the festive season mainly consisted of druids French-kissing enthusiastically on the nearest henge.

Britain has come a long way since then. Christmas now is a little calmer and cosier - it is the season of runny noses, drunken sellotaping and the sound of carols, which are for some reason mostly about sheep. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night. The Lamb.

All I Want For Christmas Is Ewe. Of all the animals, the sheep is the most Christmassy, surpassing the reindeer, the turkey and even the little nonunionised donkey called in to do a Christmas Eve shift.

Long before Christianity was English, it was Syrian the Syrians penned some of the first Christmas number ones, including a hymn by the fourth century writer Saint Ephrem that begins, promisingly: ‘behold, the firstborn has opened his Feast-Day for us like a treasure house’.

The chorus is an ancient reminder to set your burglar alarms: ‘it is a great disgrace if one sees his neighbour carrying away treasures’. It’s not got quite the same punchthe-air quality as Fairytale of New York, I’ll grant you, but it does attempt to reduce crime in a way that The Pogues would have found beneath them.

You will notice however that Saint Ephrem’s hymn rarely makes it onto the setlist of the shivering churchgoers who’ll come knocking at your door this year, and that’s because, in a fit of anticommercial hubris, he refused to mention even a single sheep. @andrewtucker.creative

NO RHYME TO WASTE interview: Andrew Tucker illustration: Jim Brown

The legacy of Nottingham’s literary history runs deep, but as poetry collectives have come and gone post-pandemic, it’s important to keep up. We meet some of the local champions who are bringing live poetry back to Nottingham…

We wrote an article four years ago detailing the plethora of poetry nights that Nottingham had to offer, but there’s just one problem, now - all of those are gone. Covid forced us apart, but we’ve been hearing rumblings of new poetry projects, so we set out on a quest: Following a trail of poetic breadcrumbs to find those who’ve been bringing the verse back to Notts.

First we drop in on marvellous young poet Abi Hutchison, who together with Connor Brown created ‘Speak Easy’ in 2021. It’s now a regular live poetry event for young people, housed upstairs in the Playhouse’s Ustinov room.

“During lockdown I began thinking of the years I had missed in the industry due to the pandemic. I was sixteen when it began. Young people my age were entering the creative world again and expecting to take up space in very different circles… I was struck by the number of groups that had, understandably, succumbed to the pressures and longevity of the pandemic.”

Abi and Connor threw the first Speak Easy as a ‘festive one-off’ and were surprised when it sold out. They’re now partnered with UNESCO City of Literature, Writing East Midlands and Bad Betty Press.

“It still doesn't feel real to me how far this collective has come…,” Abi tells us. “I am forever thankful that poetry found me when I needed it most.”

Poetry has that power to build people up. From the Playhouse, we head to Beeston and catch Dave Wood, who’s been running a group every Friday at Middle Street Resource Centre. Dave recalls asking questions to a man who’d had a stroke, trying to bring words into being from someone who could barely speak. They worked together for an hour, using the garden as inspiration to bring the man’s experience into a poem.

From Beeston to the Lace Market.

Leanne Moden, spinner of many of the city’s poetic plates, has also seen poetry’s regenerative power firsthand.

This year the National Justice Museum asked her poetry workshop Paper Cranes to work with C2C Social Action, responding to art made mainly by women in vulnerable situations: “The Justice Museum showcased the artworks and a tea apothecary, celebrating local wild flora and its positive impact on human well-being,” Leanne tells us. “We all wrote poems about the restorative power of tea!

Each poet wrote their favourite line from their poems onto a neon sticky note, and I arranged the lines to form a collaborative poem… there's been a real poetry renaissance in Nottingham.”

We find a renaissance figure at Sneinton’s King Billy pub: Caetano Capurro is teacher by day, DJ by night, and writes and performs poetry somewhere in-between. He started running his own monthly night at the King Billy this summer, called ‘Free Your Mind’, so bustling that the applause recently made a painting fall off the wall in the bar downstairs.

Between tiramisu stouts we asked what had drawn Cae to the poetry scene…

“There’s been an explosion of expression in the city… every artist I’ve met in my time has been unbelievably keen to get involved and help where they can, as I have, throwing myself at any project that needs the hands. It’s one of the things I love most about our community, the love for each other’s work and the love of seeing each other succeed. We need to be together again.”

From Sneinton we wobble to the train station. Grace Reeves is a stylish social media guru and events planner at Hopkinson’s, a threadsand-trinkets showroom down by the train station. This summer she started running a new monthly session there called ‘Poetry Kitchen’, on the third Wednesday of each month.

“I hosted my first poetry event for the Nottingham Poetry Festival,” she tells us. “Live poetry is an intimate insight into someone’s inner world… it’s refreshing to absorb someone else’s perspective, whether it’s light-hearted and comedic, or steeped in symbolism.”

What had brought her into reviving live poetry? “There’s nothing like the real deal.”

Like a tipsy Odysseus, we’re knackered after our poetic quest. We feel like apologising for the many nights like Invoke and Notts Poetry that we haven’t managed to fit in, but thankfully Leanne’s got our back: “We have collectives like GOBs, DIY Poets and World Jam, and events like Nott Another Poetry Night, Speech Therapy, SMUT, and Full Circle,” she tells us.

“Bad Betty Press are on our doorstep too, as well as the WRAP events at NTU… And the new Central Library is opening up soon, which will have its own programme… If I listed them all, we’d be here all day!”

Once again, Notts has an embarrassment of lyrical riches, and not the chin-stroking kind. Everyone we spoke to was done with sitting around.

“It truly is a beautiful time to be a poet in Nottingham,” says Leanne.

Speak Easy is at the Playhouse on 15 December, Dave Wood’s poetry group is held at Middle Street Resource Centre every Friday, Free Your Mind is at the King William IV on 13 December, Paper Cranes meets on the first and third Tuesday of the month at Beeston Library, and Poetry Kitchen is at Hopkinson’s on 20 December

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I have been lucky enough to live in a family where creative skills have always been encouraged, and because I am deaf, I also compensate visually

interview: Sophie Gargett illustration: Rebecca Buxton

Full of hedgehog related activities, recipes, advice and storytelling, Prickelus Gets Caught is a delightful book for children and adults, written and illustrated by Nottingham author Rebecca Buxton. We caught up with Rebecca to find out about her inspirations and what the process of writing is like as a deaf, dyslexic and autistic person…

Tell us a bit about yourself…

Born in Nottingham, my life has always been full of challenges thrown at me because of my deafness, autism and dyslexia. Most of my disabilities were diagnosed late in my school life. Early in my childhood, I had no language. It meant I became more creative.

I was behind my peers in English, and I ended up reading the same simple, boring books again and again, that were not age-appropriate.

It made me feel stupid and was embarrassing, but my amazing mum always encouraged me to read more interesting books. She used to sit next to me for hours, read one page at a time, then sign it to me and explain anything I didn’t understand. I have never known a person so patient, and she never gave up on me. As I got older, I became a bookworm.

You are a nature lover and have previously written a book about bees. What is the story behind Prickelus Gets Caught?

About fifteen years ago, I visited a hedgehog hospital called Prickly Ball Farm. Sadly, this is now shut. There were some photos of one of the patients, showing the hedgehog with its head stuck in beer can packaging that had been carelessly thrown away. I visited the poor thing after it was rescued. I was surprised how such a small piece of plastic could harm wildlife. This visit had a profound effect on me and was one of the many reasons I chose to write Prickelus Gets Caught.

I loved drawing the illustrations too (designed for children to colour in), and I think they show my crazy sense of humour. Imagining the characters' expressions was a challenge due to my autism. My family has helped a lot by acting out the scenes and showing me how they envisaged the faces. I had a lot of fun creating some animations to promote the book, which are available to watch on my website.

The book features such a great mix of storytelling, learning, and advice around both hedgehogs and personal wellbeing, how do you think the two themes connect?

Animals and humans have similar challenges, especially in certain situations. They feel stressed and anxious like us. All animals and humans use body language to communicate with each other. When writing The Perils of Blossom and Basil, it just seemed natural to add something about positive thinking.

Our mental well-being, especially since Covid, is

extremely important. When thinking of the sections for the hedgehog book, it made sense to include stress and how to cope.

Prickelus Gets Caught. Finding experts for my books has been essential and I was lucky to meet these wonderful people.

I am keen for all my books to feature children and adults with different disabilities and ethnic backgrounds in the stories. Lily is in the first and second books. She is deaf and has a cochlear implant (she’s my mini-me!). I hope to continue introducing her friends as I expand my set of books. I want to inspire children to try their best and show them if they have a disability, they can overcome problems and achieve their dreams.

Historically, society has often given the impression that dyslexia and writing don’t mix, but you have proved this idea wrong. What advice would you give to anyone with dyslexia that wants to get into writing?

I think it’s accepting who you are, and not listening to negative labels. There is a difference between writing something with no soul but beautifully spelt, and writing something from the heart that has some mistakes. The more I write, the better I am. It’s easier to learn for myself than sitting in a classroom. English is like a huge puzzle to solve, but when I need help, I ask for it - but the person coming to my aid mustn’t take over, and put their words, not mine. My advice to anyone who has problems like me would be to keep trying different ways and don’t be afraid to ask for assistance.

There’s also a brilliant range of activities in the book - I am very tempted by the recipe for cheesy, rosemary hoglet scones! - but you’ve also included games and crafts to get involved in. How did you come up with so many ideas?

To me, making and creating things comes easily. I can often see how to put something together when other people are struggling. As already mentioned, I have been lucky enough to live in a family where creative skills have always been encouraged, and because I am deaf, I also compensate visually. The need to educate children about their environment and to help them think through the effect they have on the Earth has always been at the top of my list.

As a deaf, autistic and dyslexic person, what was involved in the process of making the book happen?

One of my biggest problems was having the confidence to have a go at writing. Putting pen to paper felt like bearing my soul. All my life I have been repeatedly told that I am rubbish at English. It is hard to break that instilled belief. The late diagnosis of dyslexia helped in some ways because I could finally understand why I had such a difficult time at school. When paired with my deafness, the view that I was stupid has been overwhelming. However, in my mind, I had all these stories and ideas.

My first language is British Sign Language. This does not follow the same format as oral English. Therefore, only my mum could understand my first attempt, but we sat together for hours reading it over and over again, and editing the story until I was happy with it.

We then asked other people to help and continued to do this until I felt confident about self-publishing my first book, The Perils of Blossom and Basil, a book about bees. We found a beekeeper who helped check the facts for me. From there I went on to write

LITERATURE

quill power

What have you got coming up in the future - are you planning on writing more books like this?

I have been visiting local schools to read a chapter to the pupils and hopefully inspire them to follow their dreams. It has been rewarding seeing them enjoy my book and help them participate in book-related activities. If any schools are interested, they can contact me.

I also have a list of a further 24 books. Each one will follow a similar format to my other two books, all relating to a different animal and childhood problem.

The third book I have already started to compose, Ruffles Warm Hearted Winter, a book about birds.

Bullying will be the childhood topic. In addition, I have just finished illustrating my first colouring book, called The World of Honey Tree Farm - this is the fictional place where all my stories take place.

Prickelus Gets Caught is available to buy online from Arkbound Publications, Waterstones, Blackwell's, WHSmith, Amazon, or directly at prickelusgetscaught.com You can read Rebecca’s full interview on the LeftLion website @bexams36

book it

live poetry

book tour

Slamovision Finale This grand poetry slam sees UNESCO Cities of Literature from around the globe battling to wear the poetic crown.

Nottingham’s poets have won twice and we’re aiming for a hat trick: watch live from Metronome or tune in online from the comfort of your futon.

Tuesday 5 December, 6pm

Local Fires x The Bygones Acclaimed Nottingham writers Jim Gibson and Joshua Jones are teaming up at The Carousel to read from their two short story collections, ranging from ‘the very real to the very bizarre’. With music from Ichabod Wolf and Stuart Pearce (not that one), this promises to be a night worth braving the cold for.

Friday 15 December, 7pm

book release Umbilical by Teika Marija Smits Moonlit trees stepping out of spaceships, umbilical cords attaching together, an A.I. that works at a chippy…

Teika Marija Smits’ first short story collection has been our go-to when we need a dash of winter inspiration. Read our full review on the LeftLion website.

Available now at Five Leaves Bookshop leftlion.co.uk/issue166 41 41

42 leftlion.co.uk/issue166

community

these girls run interview: Emily Bicknell photo: These Girls Run

We spoke to Notts’ own Molly Slater-Davison on the founding of a new running community aiming to empower women and beat the winter blues. Safe, sweaty, supportive: These Girls Run and they’re here to stay…

As the leading all-female running and wellness club in the UK, These Girls Run are helping to change the way women and non-binary people run in Nottingham for the better.

Founded in October 2021 by Nottingham-born Molly Slater-Davison, These Girls Run has since grown to include nine city locations across the country, starting in York and now including Manchester and London. The Nottingham group alone has over 230 members. They meet every Saturday morning at 10:15am outside Sweaty Betty on the High Street, for a five kilometre ‘Build Me Up’ run, jog or walk. By offering an empowering community and safe, supportive environment, These Girls Run is helping more women across the country to participate in city centre running.

Beyond the benefits of increasing physical fitness, running is great for mental health, which is especially important as winter sets in. Despite this, concerns for safety in the darker winter months are impacting the way that women exercise outdoors. A recent study

by These Girls Run found that 97% of this community changes their approach to running in winter because of safety concerns, whilst 43% stop running completely. Yet, thanks to clubs like this one, women’s running groups have risen in popularity across the UK in recent years, allowing safety in numbers.

Molly explains, “I wanted to feel safe and help other women to feel safe too. I was running in the dark again after long summer days and completely forgot the fear and prang of anxiety that night-time running can bring. So, it was born out of a desire to feel safe and meet new people, too. Living in your twenties can be a tricky time as you transcend through various friendship groups and cities!”.

As part of a movement to empower women to feel safe and confident enough to run all year round, Sweaty Betty partnered with These Girls Run to launch country-wide running clubs. “I really resonated with Sweaty Betty’s messaging in my early twenties - empowering women through fitness and beyond. I went to their York shop with a proposition, to help out with their existing run club and bring more women together. TGR had just started in York

and we were getting a great turnout, so I offered to help by merging the two groups - it was a hit, and the rest has all come from lots of hard work with their amazing team at head office and in-store.

They completely trust me, and I’m really grateful for that.” Each running club meets at their local Sweaty Betty for a circular five kilometre route that finishes back at the shop, with different ambassadors setting different paces, so walkers are welcome, too.

These Girls Run offers a welcoming environment for all ages, including many students who’ve moved to the city for the first time and since become core members. It’s a great way to meet other like-minded women and bond over a shared hobby, no matter your ability. By creating safe spaces, These Girls Run is helping more women try their first 5k, run with others for the first time, or return to the sport, with confidence. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a seasoned runner, the goal of this community is just to enjoy getting out and exercising. If you’ve ever exchanged a smile with a fellow runner as you passed them in the street, thinking wistfully that you could potentially be running buddies, These Girls Run is the matchmaker to finding community in a sport that can too often leave you flying solo.

These Girls Run is the matchmaker to finding community in a sport that can too often leave you flying solo “In November 2023, our Winter Safety campaign went live, showcasing our community and the research I’ve been doing over the last month to find out how unsafe women feel in the winter. Seeing this go live, with a brand that I’ve always wanted to work with, has been such a powerful moment.

It feels like the culmination of all our hard work and seems to have led us to a place where we can support and encourage women this winter. I’m feeling very grateful and proud of our community.”

The community spans beyond the weekly runs to other events, including September’s These Girls Run retreat. This weekend escape to Worlingham

Hall was filled with active wellness activities like yoga, swimming, dancing and, of course, running.

But there were also dinners, discos and countryside walks that helped to build the foundations of strong and meaningful friendships between women that otherwise may never have met. As a member of the These Girls Run community, you realise that this is the aim of every run, coffee and chat.

“Seeing TGR in the city where I’m from is a massive pinch me moment. Growing up in Nottingham was great, and I spent most of my weekends in the city centre with family and friends. My grandad is an ultra runner, but a lot of my family didn’t see running as an opportunity for them, particularly the women. So, I hope I can create a safe space in the city which I love, to give something back to the area for women of all backgrounds.”

So, what can you expect from a These Girls Run event? You’ll be welcomed by the ambassadors, with a chance to leave your bags and coats in the shop whilst you run. There’s a group warm-up outside on High Street, where the ambassadors talk you through the route before you set off on a chatty 5k at your pace.

The ambassadors lead each run; one at the front of the group for those wishing to run at a faster pace, one in the middle of the group and one at the back for gentler paces and walking. Even if you’re not feeling the run that day, the group always goes for a drink and a chat after. Blend is a particular favourite spot.

These Girls Run is much more than a running group. It’s a space to meet new people and make friends in the city, explore routes you’ve not yet encountered and chat about womanhood.

Finding your people can sometimes be tricky, but communities like these are a real helping hand for women who want to build supportive friendships, while also feeling safe to exercise in winter. Good weather isn’t guaranteed, but great company and a generous helping of endorphins are.

Check out ‘These Girls Run: Nottingham’ on Facebook and join their first run of 2024 on Saturday 6 January @these_girls_run leftlion.co.uk/issue16643 43

Out Of Time SNOTS & OTHER TALES

words: Sophie Gargett illustration: Celia Shiels

Inherited over centuries from our ancestors to mark the lay of the land, place names give glimmers of the people and communities that occupied our terrain before us. Most often deriving from old English words relating to the landscape, or long gone land-owning families, these names evolve in the local collective consciousness while also becoming often overlooked after a time due to their familiarity. We thought we’d do a little etymological digging to discover how some of our local place names originated, and what they mean today…

Nottingham

The reason for our fair city’s title goes back to the unfortunate appellation of one Anglo-Saxon tribe leader. Known as ‘Snot’ or ‘Snod’, this chap headed up the Snotingas clan in around 600 AD when they first came to these parts, and consequently called the area ‘Snotengaham’ or ‘Snodengaham’. They dropped the ‘S’ around the twelfth century and gave it to Sneinton, as we shall see. Previous to this the area was known in Brythonic as ‘Tigguo Cobauc’, meaning ‘a place of cave dwellings’.

Sneinton

As one of the city’s oldest settlements, The Domesday Book refers to Sneinton as ‘Notintone’, which the Normans found easier to pronounce than the Anglo-Saxon Snotengaham, but it was gradually changed to incorporate the Snots’ ‘S’ between 1086 and 1599. Today the last remnant of the original name is Notintone Place, home to the William Booth Birthplace Museum.

Beeston

We know what you are thinking - this area of the county was clearly once prolific with pollinating insects, right?

Well, in reality Beeston derives from words ‘bēos’ (bent-grass) and ‘tūn’ (farmstead, settlement) and the settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Bestune’. Still, locals have adopted the bee as their emblem, and with its creative vibe and numerous indie businesses, Beeston is considered a ‘hive of industry’.

Arnold

We were hoping there was once a top notch bloke called Arnold living in the area, so loveable he won the hearts of his neighbours and they named the town after him, but this is sadly not the case. Arnold was in fact once known as "Ernehale", meaning 'the valley of eagles'.

This history is still marked by The Eagles Nest pub and Arnold Eagles F.C., a girls under fourteen football team.

Ladybay

There is no definitive answer to the etymology of Ladybay, but two possible theories persist.

One suggests that Queen Isabella, insurrectionist to the throne with her lover Roger Mortimer, would dock her ships in this part of the Trent when she resided in Nottingham, leading the area to be known as ‘Our lady’s bay’. Another suggests that it was given to the area by a thirteenth century chapel merely to signify the bend in the river.

Bunny

Another odd, animal related name, once again you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking that Bunny was once overrun by cute furry lagomorphs, or that perhaps the residents of Bunny Hall were known for their rabbit stew. In fact, the name means either 'reed island' or 'island on the river Bune' and was first recorded in the Domesday Book as Bonei, later changing to Buneya.

St Ann’s

Back in the days when the land around St Ann’s was part of Sherwood Forest, the area boasted a cold water well named the ‘Oswell’ which was alleged to have powers that could heal all manner of illnesses, apparently due to its extremely low temperatures. During the Middle Ages, the monks of Lenton Priory were having a moment fawning over St Ann (the patron saint of lacemakers, housewives and pregnancy) and after seizing the Oswell built a chapel dedicated to Ann at the site.

The area in which the well stood has since had a railway line, a viaduct and a pub car park built over it, and has also been known as Hunger Hill and Peas Hill.

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Gotham

A widely mispronounced eponym, Gotham (Gote-ham) is quite simply Old English for "goat home" - but how this little village went on to inspire the name of Batman’s Gotham is infinitely more interesting. The story goes that in the thirteenth century when King John wanted to travel through the area, residents weren’t happy to hear their taxes would be raised to build a king’s highway.

In a brilliant brainwave, they decided to thwart the plan by feigning madness, which was thought to be contagious at the time. When royal officials saw the residents engaging in absurd acts such as drowning fish or trapping birds in roofless cages, they decided it was probably best to leave these mad fools to themselves and divert the route. Several hundred years later, the ‘Wise Men of Gotham’ and their mad ways would inspire American comic book writer Milton "Bill" Finger to use the name for his insanity inflicted Gotham City.

Before electricity, getting coal for Christmas wouldn't have been that bad…

Beeston Updated I dont get bonfire night … we’re celebrating a guys death that failed to do a decent job Spotted Kimberley & Eastwood Person 1: How much would someone charge to cut my grass Kimberley area ?

Person 2: Have you got any scissors i can borrow ?

Spotted Long Eaton Feeling really disappointed. Just seen my first Christmas lights and we're not even one week into November.

Beeston Updated Ask any kid, they’ve never heard of Guy Fawkes!!!

Sneinton Which ever tramp keeps leaving rubbish on my wall will be liable for a beating.... alls I'm saying Mansfield Person 1: I have just found this phone in Tesco carpark (Chesterfield Road).

It is now at the customer service desk.

Person 2: Should have throw it in the bin because it’s Mansfeild enough said

Southwell Community Chat Any town u go to theres drunk teenagers. Iv lived in Southwell for 3 years n never had a problem, try living in Newark Spotted in Netherfield Person 1: Whos letting fireworks off in the daytime?

Person 2: The same sort of people who clap when the plane lands!

Sherwood in Nottingham Community Group Could the person who whistles loudly every day pretending to be a bird around Gunthorpe Drive/Gamston Crescent please stop? Little pretend bird sounds every day several times a day... sometimes jingle bells tune thrown in for good measure. I work from home and it drives me up the wall Spotted Broxtowe If this were a video game, the cops would definitely be the final boss!

words: Dani Bacon

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BEST OF THE MONTH Outlawed When: Wednesday 29 November - Friday 22 December Where: Nonsuch Studios How much: From £10.50

Craft Fair Contemporary 2023 When: Friday 1 December Sunday 3 December Where: Nottingham Contemporary How much: Free

Slamovision Finale When: Tuesday 5 December, 6pm Where: Metronome How much: Pay what you decide

This Christmas, discover the naughtiest speakeasy in all of Sherwood Forest, where maestro Robin and their dangerously talented gang of Merry Fools are set to throw a party so big, even the Sheriff wants in! With Marian and Tuck’d by his side and the sensually terrifying Sheriff out to cause trouble, Robin and the gang invite you to The Major Oak - a super secret hideaway with a super secret cabaret inside. Stealing from the rich to give to the poor has never been so much fun!

Nottingham Contemporary’s popular Christmas Craft Fair is returning this year, featuring over forty designers and makers; from independent, local sellers to creators from around the UK. With a wide selection of items for sale at this festive event, it’s easy to shop locally this Christmas!

There will be a fabulous variety of contemporary craft and design including ceramics, textiles, jewellery, Christmas decorations, homeware, candles, prints, cards and lots more.

Head to Metronome for a celebration of spoken word from outstanding poets across the world. From a photographic exhibition to creative writing games and challenges, there’s lots to get involved in, and this will all be followed by a live performance from last year’s winner, Nottingham’s very own Abiọ́dún (Abbey) Abdul.

The evening promises to be a showcase of some of our very best local creative talent, where 2023’s winning poem and city will be crowned.

Dick Whittington When: Saturday 9 December Sunday 14 January Where: Theatre Royal How much: From £19.50

LadBaby When: Sunday 10 December, 7pm Where: Royal Concert Hall How much: £31

Broadway’s Film Quiz When: Wednesday 13 December, 8.30pm Where: Broadway Cinema How much: £2 per person

Join Dick Whittington as he seeks fame, fortune, and happiness, journeying to become Lord Mayor. Can he outwit the evil Queen Rat and free the city from her team of revolting rodents? Find out in the ultimate magical pantomime adventure.

Packed with all the traditional pantomime ingredients Nottingham audiences know to expect, don’t miss this actionpacked panto, which promises to be full of laugh-out-loud comedy, stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses.

Chart-topping social media sensations LadBaby (aka Mark and Roxanne Hoyle) will be making a stop at the Royal Concert Hall to celebrate their smash-hit debut podcast Live Laugh Love. As one of Britain’s most well-known and bestloved families with a global audience of over thirteen million, the live show is an opportunity to get up close and personal with the comedic duo. Expect a hilarious and engaging roller-coaster ride of an evening, as Mr and Mrs Christmas spread some much needed festive cheer.

Assemble a team of up to four and join the LeftLion Screen team for a night of pub quiz action to raise money for Emmanuel House. Test your knowledge of 2023’s best (and worst) films, your memory of Christmas movies over the years, and your ability to decipher actors in Santa costumes from low-quality prints on shoddy pieces of A4. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Broadway Cinema, this is the perfect night for a good laugh and the chance to win quality* prizes (*genuinely, they're pretty cool).

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Alternative Christmas Party (Part 1) When: Friday 8 December, 8pm Where: Ye Olde Salutation Inn How much: £8 If you want to celebrate Christmas slightly differently, head down to The Sal, where In Isolation will be playing their hit cover of I Believe In Father Christmas, alongside songs from their last two albums.

Meanwhile, Discord and Rhyme will bring their excellent synth pop eighties covers to the mix (including some keytar, we are promised), and Ombudsmen will provide some phat beats, stupid melodies and psychedelic excursions.

Uncanny Christmas | Found Utopia When: Saturday 16 December Sunday 17 December Where: Primary How much: £13 After a three-year break, join Primary for the return of the hugely popular Uncanny Christmas, an annual fundraiser planned and executed by their resident community. For one night only, Primary are celebrating seasonal strangeness with live performances, themed bars, a not-so Christmas dinner, raffle prizes, a piñata, Primary merch, guessing games, music, and dancing into the night. All funds raised will support the ongoing maintenance of the building and help keep Primary’s studios affordable and accessible.